Lin Ji’s gaze fell on the panel without the slightest hesitation.
He directly tapped the faintly glowing [Upgrade] button.
[Ding!]
[Upgrade command detected!]
[Consuming: Wood x10, Evolution Points x50...]
[Consumption complete!]
[Congratulations! Your ’Dilapidated Raft (LV1)’ has been successfully upgraded to ’Catamaran Sailboat (LV2)’!]
Along with the system prompt, a dazzling white light suddenly erupted from the raft beneath Lin Ji’s feet.
The original dilapidated wooden planks began to visibly reorganize and expand!
The wood became sturdier and darker in color.
The area expanded several times over, turning into a spacious platform of about ten square meters.
Most crucially, a tall mast rose from the center of the raft, bearing a large white sail.
At the rear of the platform, a semi-open, simple rain shelter also appeared.
Though it still looked rather crude, compared to the previous rickety raft that seemed ready to fall apart at any moment, this was a leap from a thatched hut to a small villa!
"Wow..."
Gu Yihan and Su Qingyue were both stunned.
Especially that shelter offering protection from wind and rain—for pampered young ladies like them, it was an utterly irresistible temptation.
No more baking in the sun!
Lin Ji stepped contentedly on the solid deck, feeling much more at ease.
He turned to Gu Yihan and extended an invitation.
"The system has a Vessel Merge Function. As long as both parties agree, vessels can be merged."
"Interested in joining me, Miss Gu?"
This ship belonged to him.
Without his permission, no one could board it.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yihan’s face immediately lit up with a delighted smile.
She nodded without hesitation.
"I agree!"
As her words fell, the small raft beneath her feet transformed into a stream of light and merged into Lin Ji’s sailboat.
The sailboat’s area seemed to expand just a little more.
Gu Yihan excitedly ran under the rain shelter, basking in the shade, so blissful she nearly squinted her eyes.
The two entered the interior of the sailboat, which was essentially just under that rain shelter.
It was empty inside, with nothing at all.
But even so, it was a hundred times more comfortable than sleeping directly on the raft.
Lin Ji touched the deck at the bottom of the boat.
Even through the wooden planks, he could still feel the faint coolness of the seawater.
During the day, it was fine, but if night fell and the sea turned icy cold, sleeping directly on the deck would surely cause health problems by the next day.
"If only I had a teammate with a crafting-type talent..."
This thought flashed through Lin Ji’s mind.
Unfortunately, all he had on hand were two E-grade talent "vases."
However, lacking teammates didn’t mean he couldn’t do it himself.
He had iron nails and a multi-purpose entrenching tool. As long as he fished up some more wooden planks, making a simple bed shouldn’t be too difficult.
Thinking this, Lin Ji stood up and called out to the outside.
"Stop lazing around, get to work!"
"Go, fish up a few large wooden planks for me."
Gu Yihan, who had just enjoyed a moment of comfort, and Su Qingyue, who was still lingering alone outside, were both taken aback.
They had been salvaging supplies for over two hours and were already exhausted, their backs and shoulders aching.
This guy was practically treating them like slaves!
"I’m done!"
Su Qingyue was the first to snap. Rubbing her sore arms, she wore a resentful expression.
"I’m too tired. I need a break!"
Lin Ji gave her a cold glance.
"Fine. Then don’t expect to exchange for any more supplies from me in the future."
"Consider the work you just did a waste of effort."
"You..."
Su Qingyue glared at him with hatred but could do nothing about it.
In the end, she could only pick up the iron hook again and continue as a diligent, hardworking laborer.
Gu Yihan had initially thought of using her "newly appointed" status to act spoiled, but upon seeing Lin Ji’s icy gaze, she immediately swallowed her words.
She didn’t want to be kicked off the boat so soon after boarding.
Thus, the two young ladies of noble upbringing had no choice but to once again dedicate themselves to the great cause of maritime scavenging.
With the efforts of all three, enough wooden planks were soon gathered.
Lin Ji took out the green multipurpose military shovel. Despite its small size, the serrated edge on its side was exceptionally sharp.
Creak, creak...
Wood chips flew everywhere.
In less than half an hour, a simple wooden bed measuring two meters long and one and a half meters wide appeared beneath the rain shelter.
Though somewhat crude, it was still better than sleeping on the floor.
At the sight of this bed, Gu Yihan’s pretty face flushed bright red.
The bed wasn’t large—it could sleep two people at most.
She knew that tonight, she would be sharing this bed with this man.
Meanwhile, Su Qingyue was utterly panicked.
The bed was for two—so what about her?
The thought of lying alone on the dark, lightless sea at night, with nothing to shield her, overwhelmed her with immense fear.
"Um..."
Summoning her courage, she looked at Lin Ji, her voice trembling with tears.
"Can... can I sleep inside the sailboat tonight? I can sleep on the floor..."
"No."
Lin Ji refused outright.
"My boat isn’t a place for outsiders to spend the night."
"Unless you’re also my woman."
"We’re classmates!" Su Qingyue cried out in despair.
Lin Ji shrugged, his expression indifferent.
Su Qingyue looked desperately at Gu Yihan, pleading with her eyes.
But Gu Yihan could only turn away helplessly, thinking to herself: Serves you right. Who told you to act so aloof earlier? Now you regret it?
After finishing the bed, Lin Ji was also tired.
He lay down on the bed and opened the Chat Channel.
By now, messages from various factions were already flooding the channel.
"[Godslayer Guild]Recruiting! We’ve already gathered over a hundred people, with an A-grade expert leading us!"
"[Dragon Nation Official]Rescue teams have been established. All Dragon Nation compatriots, please report your coordinates and await rescue!"
"[Sakura Society]Yosh, our great Sakura Empire is the most superior nation... All Sakura citizens, gather quickly."
Lin Ji skimmed through the messages quickly and closed the channel.
His current strength was still too weak, and he didn’t want to get entangled with these major factions.
He opened the Divine Evolution System and focused his gaze on Gu Yihan’s profile.
[Target: Gu Yihan]
[Talent: Wind Listening (E-grade)]
[Next Level: Lightfoot (D-grade), requires 50 Evolution Points.]
"Let’s rest for a bit."
"Later, I’ll upgrade her skill to D-grade."
This way, his own strength would also rise accordingly.
After checking the messages, Lin Ji noticed that the two women still hadn’t made a move.
He frowned and spoke coldly.
"Stop standing around, let’s get to work."
At Lin Ji’s command, the brief rest period came to an end.
Though they had just eaten, neither Gu Yihan nor Su Qingyue dared to slack off in the slightest.
In front of this man, their privileged young lady temperaments had long been worn down almost completely.
For the next two hours, the sea area once again underwent a thorough sweep.
Lin Ji stood at the bow of the boat, his Eye of Insight fully activated.
His gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, precisely picking out valuable targets from the vast expanse of floating trash.
"Gu Yihan, three o’clock direction, that floating black plastic bag—there’s bait inside."
"Su Qingyue, ignore that wooden crate that looks new; it’s empty. Go fish out the torn net bag on the left."