[Due to your care, Winsor feels warmth. Affinity +2.]
It seemed that showing concern could increase affinity—though the boost was small, every little bit counted. As the saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Right now, Winsor was using the only fishing rod, and the resource rod's daily uses were exhausted. What should he do? If only I had a few more rods... Maybe tomorrow I can use my talent to create one.
The sea rippled, and Gu Ning turned to see Little Blue returning from hunting. The sight of the massive creature sparked an idea.
He opened the [Trading]section and searched for rope, which brought up a list of options:
Rope x1
Price: Wood x1
Rope x2
Price: Wood x1
...
All listings traded rope for wood, though some offered more for the same price. Gu Ning spent 2 Wood to get 6 Ropes.
Taking one out, he found it was about 4 meters long and 2 cm wide. He retrieved the rest from his inventory, tied them together in pairs to make three 8-meter ropes, then looped each into a circle. Finally, he secured all three to the bow of the boat.
"Winsor, stop fishing for a bit. I'm testing something—move toward the middle," Gu Ning called.
Winsor gave him a puzzled look but complied, stepping to the center of the boat.
Once she was steady, Gu Ning signaled Little Blue to bite onto the rope.
"Swim forward slowly, got it?"
Little Blue chirped in understanding, then began pulling gently.
The initial tug sent Gu Ning and Winsor stumbling from inertia—Winsor ended up pressed against Gu Ning's back, her soft curves flattening against him.
Her face flushed crimson, and she immediately straightened, turning away to hide her embarrassment. She peeked back to see if Gu Ning had noticed, but he was too busy laughing as the boat started moving.
"It works! Who needs oars now?"
His earlier worry about rowing was solved—this was faster and easierthan paddling.
"Little Blue, speed up a little," he ordered.
As the creature accelerated, so did the boat. After a few adjustments, Gu Ning settled on a steady, brisk pace.
Winsor watched his exhilaration and couldn't help but smile too.
"Alright, Little Blue, stop." Gu Ning called the test run short—they hadn't followed the map, and he didn't want to drift too far.
"Go hunt. Come back by nightfall." He patted Little Blue's head, and the creature dove beneath the waves.
"Winsor, back to fishing."
She nodded, passing Gu Ning on her way to the bow. When their eyes briefly met, she quickly looked away, cheeks tinged pink again.
Gu Ning raised an eyebrow. Did I miss something?
Sighing, he checked his resources: 7 Wood left. Upgrading the boat required 20 Wood (26 White Stones). Can we catch enough fish this afternoon? Hope Winsor's luck is better than mine.
He opened the [Chat]channel to kill time while waiting.
"Just got a Silver Chest—pulled a Talent Orb! Green-tier, lets me breathe underwater for an hour.
"Screw you, lucky bastard!"
"I got one too, but white-tier. It gives 5 White Stones daily."
"Killed a Level 2 Yellowfish and got a white Skill Stone. Learned a skill."
Gu Ning realized chests could drop Talent Orbs, and while they weren't common, several players had gotten them. Why can't I fish one up? That underwater breathing talent sounds amazing.
He also noted that killing monsters dropped loot—something he'd missed by selling fish alive.
Just then, Winsor handed him a fish. He instinctively used [Spiritual Vision]:
[Blue Spearfish (Green)]
Level: 2
STR: 12 | AGI: 13 | DEF: 12
Skills: Water Jet, Rapid Dash
Same level as Little Blue, but stats are 5 points lower. Quality really matters. Wonder what tier I am?
Gu Ning punched the fish hard. Upon death, it vanished in a green flash, leaving behind a pebble-sized green stone.
[Congratulations! Obtained Skill Stone: Water Jet.]
So loot replaces the fish. No selling it afterward, huh?
Checking his EXP, he saw it had increased by 8. The system's mechanics were still unclear, and Tianmu wasn't answering questions. *Guess I'll figure it out in a day or two.
Inspecting the stone:
[Water Jet (Green)]
Effect: +20% STR when active.
Requirement: Water/Ice Elementalist.
He learned it immediately, feeling the technique imprint in his mind like muscle memory.
A flick of his wrist conjured a water projectile, which slammed into the boat, leaving a dent.
...Oops.
He fired five more shots before running out of energy—probably his MP (Mana Points).
For the rest of the afternoon, he alternated between resting and practicing Water Jet.
By dusk, he'd gathered enough White Stones (and then some).
Winsor's haul:
15 White Tier-1 Fish
1 White Tier-2 Fish
1 White Tier-3 Fish
5 Green Tier-1 Fish
1 Green Tier-3 Fish
Total: 35 White Stones
Sadly, no drops from killing them.
But the sales revealed the pricing formul:
Price = Level × Tier Multiplier
Green Tier-3 = 3 × 2 = 6 Stones
Blue Tier-3 would be 3 × 3 = 9 Stones, etc.
Gu Ning spent 34 Stones on 17 Wood, then 20 Wood to upgrade the boat.
As materials vanished, the boat expanded to 6m long and 3m wide, with a 1m-tall cabin in the center. The cabin had two doors, leading to the bow and stern decks.
Finally—shelter from the rain.
He stepped inside, relieved to be out of the drizzle.
Using 1 Wood, he crafted two stools via the basic building menu (which also offered beds, tables, etc.). He skipped the bed—the space was too cramped.
After calling Winsor inside to rest, he directed Little Blue to tow the boat toward their next destination.
Then, he settled in to eat and sleep.