Upgrade Requirements: Wood ×4000, Iron Nails ×8000, Copper Ingots ×400, Ship Core ×1
Although Gu Ning had already suspected it, confirming that a Ship Core was indeed required made him sigh helplessly.
This meant that every future upgrade would likely demand a Ship Core—at the very least. No one could be sure whether the third tier would require even more.
If each level in the next stage required more Ship Cores, then building a powerful warship would come with a hefty price tag.
The navy is truly a money-burning army!
After completing the ship upgrade, his mana had mostly recovered, so Gu Ning resumed making ice blocks. He wasn't planning to rest tonight.
As for Windsor and Dark Moon, Gu Ning had them go rest. They couldn't be of much help at the moment anyway, so it was better for them to conserve their energy in case of unexpected events.
They'd be going diving and hunting tomorrow!
The entire deck was peaceful, bathed in faint moonlight. The sea reflected the sky, casting a silvery glow everywhere.
The ship moved steadily under the guidance of Navigator Li Le and sailors Wang Yi and Wang Lin.
It was Gu Ning's first time spending the night outdoors like this. Reclining in a deck chair, snacking on fruit, and sipping a bottle of chilled red wine—it was a unique kind of enjoyment.
Once his mana was drained again, Gu Ning began sorting the loot gathered by his crew through fishing and the hunting efforts of Windsor and the others.
There weren't many items, only four in total. He began identifying them one by one.
Talent Orb (Green): Use to randomly obtain a talent.
"Whoa!" Gu Ning was pleasantly surprised. The first item was already this good!
He hesitated—should he use it now or save it for Metamorphosis?
Using it now would give him a green-tier talent, but if he applied Metamorphosis, there was no telling what kind of item he might get.
To be honest, Gu Ning wasn't particularly excited about blue-tier items. Unless Metamorphosis produced a purple or gold item, he felt it was better to just gain another talent.
After thinking it over, Gu Ning decided to use the talent orb immediately.
[Notice: Your talent slots are full. Unable to use Talent Orb at this time.]
"Damn it!" Gu Ning cursed. All that mental debate for nothing!
Calming himself down, he studied the message carefully. It said "unable to use at this time," which implied that it might be usable later.
That hinted at the possibility of increasing talent slots.
"Mother AI, how do I gain more talent slots?" Gu Ning asked tentatively.
[Reaching Tier 3 (Commander Level) and Tier 5 (Emperor Level) will each unlock one additional talent slot.][You can also gain extra slots through special rewards.]
Gu Ning blinked. He hadn't expected an actual answer.
He analyzed the information carefully.
The simplest takeaway: he'd need to reach Level 13 to unlock a second talent slot.
The third slot wouldn't come until Level 25.
As for the "special rewards" mentioned, Gu Ning didn't dwell on them too much—it clearly wouldn't be easy.
Another thing that caught his attention: each stage seemed to come with a title.
Just like the Mother AI had said: Tier 3 is "Commander Level," Tier 5 is "Emperor Level."
"Mother AI, why doesn't my info panel show my current rank? And how are these ranks divided?"
Gu Ning voiced his doubts.
[The five ranks are: Soldier, Officer, Commander, King, and Emperor.][Your info panel will update once a new lord establishes a territory and becomes an official lord.]
So that's how it worked—he was basically an intern lord right now. Many functions weren't available to him yet.
Once he established his own territory and officially became a lord, more permissions and systems would unlock.
Sigh, interns really don't have any rights. Gu Ning couldn't help but complain.
Since he couldn't use the Talent Orb now, he decided to put it away for later—he could try using Metamorphosis on it.
Next item:
Ice Crystal Tower Blueprint (Green): An Ice Crystal Tower emits freezing beams, damaging enemies and slowing them down. With it, your territory's security will be significantly enhanced.
Construction Requirements: Wood ×100, Stone ×100, Ice Gem ×5
A defensive structure. Based on the description, it looked quite powerful.
But it required Ice Gems—which obviously sounded far rarer than wood or stone. He had no idea where to obtain them.
Gu Ning stashed the blueprint away. He'd deal with it once he had his own territory—no point worrying now.
Third item: another blueprint.
Medical Room Blueprint (White): Without a medical room, the health of your population can't be guaranteed. With one, their sense of belonging to the territory will increase.
Construction Requirements: Wood ×200, Stone ×50
This was a basic infrastructure building. It would help improve the foundation of his future territory.
Fourth item: a card.
Mini Fish Resource Card (White): Use in lakes or rivers within your territory to introduce a population of fish, providing an alternative food source.
Gu Ning was surprised—there were cards like this?
That must mean there were other types too—maybe for iron ore, orchards, gemstones?
He was intrigued.
All in all, the loot wasn't bad. Though everything was only white or green quality, they helped fill in his weak spots.
When establishing a new territory, such items would be valuable in bridging gaps—solving the "do I have it or not" problem.
After storing the items, Gu Ning resumed making ice blocks, taking advantage of his regenerated mana.
At that moment, Huo Huo flew over from the fishing deck, landing in Gu Ning's arms and nuzzling against his chest.
Gu Ning chuckled and gently rubbed her little head.
Every time Huo Huo came around, he felt a strange sense of peace. It was like his heart settled.
Having a cheerful companion like her made Gu Ning feel very lucky on this journey.
And Huo Huo wasn't just a cheerful presence—she had great potential for growth. One day, she'd become a major force within his territory.
But her growth path was a challenge. She couldn't level up by slaying sea monsters—only by consuming spirit crystals or amethysts.
That greatly limited her growth speed.
Gu Ning would have to figure out what elemental spirits like her could consume, and start stockpiling it. Even if it meant spending a fortune, he was determined to raise her well.
Huh? Who's messaging me in the middle of the night?