His voice stuttered, and his body trembled slightly.
"How can this be? You all should have been dead long ago! Why are you still alive?"
He mumbled to himself, before the Black Mage suddenly seemed to realize something.
He bowed as low as possible to the Architect, his face nearly touching the wooden boat, to express his respect.
"Lost Chunk, survivor of Sky Island, Apprentice Black Mage, pays his respects, milord!"
Cold sweat soaked his back; the Black Mage's entire body shook with fear.
Receiving no response, he didn't dare to stand up, remaining utterly devout.
Even when he was trapped in the wooden boat, the Black Mage hadn't shown such an attitude, yet now he was like this just from seeing the Architect.
"You?"
Perplexed by the sudden display of reverence, the Architect was filled with confusion.
"Milord, what are your orders?"
"Who are you? What survivor? What Lost Chunk?"
Asking the questions weighing on his heart, the Architect scratched his head.
He only remembered being infected and then saved by Galen Yu; he had lost many of his old memories.
His memory of Sky Island was very hazy.
"Ah? You don't know about Sky Island?"
The Architect nodded, then shook his head.
"I remember many buildings being created by my hands; those seemed like happy days, but as for the details..."
"I don't remember anything after being infected by the virus."
Lifting his head slightly, the Black Mage confirmed that the Architect truly didn't remember.
Only then did the Black Mage straighten up, his eyes darting as his face regained its usual cunning expression.
"I knew it. How could anyone from Sky Island have survived? So that's how it is."
"You survived the infection and were turned back, but you lost your former memories and power."
Breathing a sigh of relief, the Black Mage was no longer so terrified, though the lingering awe in his eyes still kept him from saying too much.
Even the little schemes he had been harboring vanished the moment the Architect appeared.
Even without his memories, this man would never be as easy to fool as those dim-witted villagers.
"What a pity."
Looking at the Black Mage, the Architect shook his head.
Bewildered by the sudden pity, the Black Mage asked in confusion.
"What is it, milord?"
"In your dreams, you ugly thing. Tsk."
"Uh..."
His expression became complicated; he seemed to want to say something unpleasant, but he bit his tongue because of the Architect.
Finally, he spoke.
"Milord, given the current state of Sky Island, it's a miracle to be alive at all. Not everyone can maintain a handsome appearance like yours."
"And regarding the trades, I noticed you haven't put anything in your trade slot. Emeralds and gold are very precious."
"Sometimes you have to look out for yourself; you can't do everything for free. If he were to unfortunately die later..."
"How dare you!"
The Architect's face changed drastically before the sentence was finished.
Earlier, he hadn't believed that anything could be worth fifty emeralds a word, but now, not only was this guy overcharging...
He was also cursing Galen Yu to die and inciting the Architect to demand money!
As Galen Yu's servant, was it money he wanted?
It was the debt of saving his life, something far beyond the value of money!
No one would ever want to repeat the experience of becoming a zombie, living in a muddled state of agony.
"My master's majestic presence is like that of the most heroic king in myth. How could he possibly die so easily?"
"On the other hand, you were saved, yet you're so malicious."
The Architect's gaze turned a few degrees colder.
If Galen Yu gave the word, he would immediately whip out his sniper rifle and blow the Black Mage's head off!
"You've forgotten, but those dragons and the terrors of the higher levels are far beyond what a newcomer can handle."
"Considering our shared past, I'm saying this for your own good. *Sigh*."
The Architect didn't agree with those words.
Since being rescued, he knew Galen Yu had faced many dangers and accomplished things that seemed impossible to everyone else.
Yet he had succeeded every time, surviving to this day and building Sky Island into what it was now.
"I don't believe you."
Just as he was about to say more, the Black Mage suddenly felt his vision go dark.
Something in the sky was blocking his view.
Looking up, he saw that Galen Yu had built a platform of blocks in the sky at some point.
Descending with the Peacock Feather Fan, Galen Yu greeted the Architect and then attached a lead to the wooden boat.
Using the Peacock Feather Fan again to leap into the air, he landed steadily on the pre-built blocks and tied the lead to a fence post.
Before the Black Mage could react, he was suspended in mid-air, swaying occasionally due to the physics of the blocks.
A wooden boat rocker!
This was the method Galen Yu had specifically devised for the Black Mage.
Unlike ordinary villagers, since he had his own thoughts, he certainly wouldn't be frightened by a few zombies.
Thus, simply locking him in a Nether Portal or something similar wouldn't satisfy the goal of punishment.
This wooden boat setup was perfect.
Because of the lead's properties, the wooden boat would swing constantly, and at night, it would attract a never-ending stream of zombies.
The thought of falling into a swarm of zombies at any moment was both a physical and mental torment!
"Get ready to enjoy yourself!"
The sky grew completely dark as a white moon rose.
Luck had been good the past two days; there had been no Blood Moon or fog.
Having positioned the Black Mage, Galen Yu switched to Tsukumo, planning to grind some Proud Souls while practicing his skills.
"You think this method will make me yield?"
Seeing Galen Yu's intent, the Black Mage gave a cold laugh.
Killing the Wither, subduing the Snow Queen, and curing the Architect—these actions were indeed unexpected and earned Galen Yu some respect in his eyes.
However, as a Black Mage, even with some of his abilities restricted, he was still more powerful than most creatures.
However, as a Black Mage, even with some of his abilities restricted, he was still more powerful than most creatures.
How could a mere night frighten him?
"They're just zombies and skeletons."
Watching the monsters appear in the distance, he gave a light wave of his hand, firing off a sphere of black light.
Boom!
Before the zombies could even get close, a crater was blasted in the distance, instantly killing a large group of monsters.
"Out of respect for my life being saved and for that lord, I won't hold this boat business against you."
Closing his eyes to focus on himself, the Black Mage slowly began to phase out of the wooden boat bit by bit.
At this rate, it would take about a full day for him to break free from the wooden boat's constraints.
Until then, monsters wouldn't spawn during the day, so he didn't need to worry. Even at night, there would only be a few zombies.
Throwing out some magic every now and then to eliminate them wouldn't really affect him.
He didn't think the wooden boat rocker was particularly formidable.
That is, until he opened his eyes again, ready to release a skill to wipe out the nearby zombies.
He tried his best to ignore the up-and-down swaying, but if the boat dropped too low, it was indeed possible for a zombie to hit him.
If he got too distracted, his plan to escape the boat would fall through.
But in that brief moment, when he opened his eyes again, he froze.
"Where did all these zombies come from?"
Even in a medium-sized chunk suffering from severe erosion, there shouldn't be this many zombies at night!
While he was dazed, his escape plan was interrupted, and the Black Mage was forced to start over.
He used magic to kill them and was about to try escaping again when he suddenly paused, remembering something.
"Wait, this many zombies, and the clothes they're wearing... this is..."
"Impossible. How could these zombies still be triggered now? *Hiss*!"
Realizing something, the Black Mage's face paled.
Reality was far from his expectations; it seemed he really couldn't leave and was going to die on this wooden boat!
Looking at the Architect's departing back, the Black Mage's expression turned guilty.
"Is it too late to admit I'm wrong?"
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