Gu Ning knew the old saying: Wealth lies in taking risks. Who knew when such an opportunity would arise again? Killing a high-rank beast across multiple levels might yield rare drops, and Windsor would likely level up from the kill.
He ordered Windsor to attack the bear's remaining eye—the same strategy as before. But the polar bear had its eyes shut. Would Windsor's attack pierce its eye defense? If not, and we're exposed… we're dead.
He needed a distraction. Xiao Lan would lure the bear into opening its eye.
Gu Ning had Xiao Lan approach the cave slightly, then retreat and drop Stealth. The polar bear's good eye snapped open, fixing on Xiao Lan as the whale "innocently" swam toward the cave. Too weak to matter—free food.
Before the bear could strike, a Water Arrow hit its blind right eye. As it turned to glare at Gu Ning, two Light Arrows streaked for its left eye. One pierced the eye; the other bounced off its closed eyelid.
Lucky we played it safe.
Blinded and enraged, the bear roared, smashing the cave wall and hurling debris. Gu Ning and Windsor peppered its eyes and wounded arm, steadily draining its health. Ten minutes later, the bear collapsed, and Windsor finished it off with a final volley.
Gu Ning prioritized Windsor's leveling—she gained the most from each level, while his own stat gains had slowed. Let her protect us for now. I'll focus on upgrading my talent to legendary.
When the bear died, a purple flash revealed a palm-sized snow mountain model:
Polar Ice Bear Troop Nest (Epic): Summons Polar Ice Bear troops.
Restriction: Requires Lord title and territory.
"Xiao Lan, surface—now!" Gu Ning shouted. The whale burst through the waves, the ship crashing back into the water as rain poured down.
Gu Ning laughed triumphantly, impulsively hugging Windsor. Her face flushed, but when he let go, she felt… empty. No, stop thinking like that! she chided herself, though a smile tugged at her lips.
[Notification: Windsor's affinity +3 from your influence.]
[Notification: Windsor's affinity reaches "Close."]
"Influence?" Am I a zombie now? Gu Ning wondered, but he was thrilled to hit 70 affinity so quickly.
He set Windsor to fish and Xiao Lan to hunt (now 10 meters long and growing), then retreated to the cabin to inventory his loot:
- Materials: 15 wood, 8 plastic, 3 copper, 15 cotton, 2 cloth, 1 tissue roll
- Blueprints: Iron pot, stove
- Gear: Quanguang staff, troop nest
- Currency: 1,300+ white stones
First, upgrade the ship. The personal store now sold iron and copper (10 white stones each). He bought 10 iron, crafted 200 nails, and purchased 8 more wood to meet the 80 total needed.
The ship expanded to 10m long, 5m wide, with a 2m-tall cabin now featuring a 1x2m toilet and 3x4m living space. A stove would fit in the remaining 1x1m nook.
He spent 500 white stones on a tech card, unlocking Ship Tech (Territory Tech remained locked). Ship techs included flight, engines, and weapons—all requiring gold stones (1 gold = 10,000 white). One tech alone cost 500 gold (5,000,000 white). Ridiculous.
He used the Drainage Tech blueprint:
- Activate: 200 white stones
- Upgrade: 1,000 white stones (later)
The ship now featured silver-blue circular patterns that absorbed rainwater—alien tech beyond his understanding.
Next, he built a stove (5 iron), placed it by the toilet (no odor, thanks to ocean disposal), and checked the ship's stats:
Wooden Ship Lv3
- Size: 10m x 5m
- Facilities: Cabin, toilet
- Power: None
- Tech: Lv1 Drainage
- Next upgrade: 200 wood, 400 nails, 20 copper
Windsor had reached level 4; Xiao Lan stalled at 4; Gu Ning remained at 3, unbothered. Focus on upgrading my talent to legendary—+5 stats per level beats +4.
As rain poured, Gu Ning gazed at the sea, exhilarated. This "Disaster Month" won't crush me. Not with Windsor, Xiao Lan, and luck on my side.