Gu Ning took the blueprint and motioned for the commoners to leave.
He examined the blueprint.
Parasol Blueprint (White): In the scorching summer, a parasol can shield you from the blazing sun.
Materials required: Wood ×3, Cloth ×5
"Didn't expect something like this." Gu Ning immediately started building.
Once completed, the parasol covered quite a wide area. Gu Ning estimated it could shade two lounge chairs easily.
He then lay down on one of the lounge chairs and began producing ice blocks.
Once his mana was depleted, he headed into the arena to compete. Arena points were important—he definitely planned to participate in the Two-Domain Competition. After all, it was a chance to obtain a Ship Core.
He also tried acquiring one via the trade channel, but of course, no one was foolish enough to sell.
Now that Gu Ning understood how crucial the Ship Core was, he realized: without it, his ship couldn't be upgraded. The Ship Core essentially determined how far he could expand on the seas.
So for this Two-Domain Competition, Gu Ning made up his mind—he had to collect as many Ship Cores as possible.
The day passed without incident, and night fell quickly. After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms.
That afternoon, Gu Ning had also used a newly purchased thermostat blueprint to make three thermostats and placed them in the living quarters as planned.
In addition, he had purchased a large amount of cotton and cloth, using a bedding set blueprint to create a batch of bed linens. He left it to Jasmine to take care of the arrangement.
Back inside the house, Gu Ning looked at Windsor and Darkmoon sitting on the sofa and suddenly realized—he hadn't arranged a room for Darkmoon yet.
He couldn't possibly let Darkmoon stay in his room! That would interrupt his time alone with Windsor!
Gu Ning frowned. How should he handle Darkmoon's lodging?
Seeing Gu Ning walk in carrying a cooling device, Windsor immediately spoke up, "A-Ning, tonight Moon and I will sleep on the bed. You take the sofa, okay?"
"Huh?" Gu Ning was a little stunned. Back on Blue Star, there were men who slept on sofas after marriage—some even bought expensive sofas just for this reason. He never thought he'd become one of them now.
Windsor, thinking Gu Ning was reluctant, came over, gently took the cooling device from his hands, then clung to his arm and sat beside him on the sofa.
"A-Ning, Moon just arrived. You can't expect her to share a room with the others, right? Just put up with it this once," she said, shaking his arm and whining sweetly.
Gu Ning looked at Windsor, then at Darkmoon—who turned her head away to avoid his gaze. These two were already this close after just one day?
"It's fine, you two take the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa. It's pretty big anyway," Gu Ning said casually. Sharing a room with Darkmoon might actually help deepen their bond.
Though he couldn't be intimate with Windsor for now, it didn't matter much. He could use the time to earn more arena points.
"Great! Thank you, A-Ning!" Windsor kissed his cheek, then led Darkmoon to the bed.
Windsor took off her clothes, while Darkmoon stayed fully dressed.
Gu Ning wasn't surprised—he and Darkmoon weren't that close yet. As for him, he stripped without hesitation, ignoring Darkmoon's slightly embarrassed expression.
After collecting today's harvest from the money tree, Gu Ning lay on the sofa and opened the trade list sent by Wang Mu. He browsed through it and bought two thermostat blueprints, planning to improve the insulation.
Then he checked the remaining items he had for the day.
One Green-Quality Commoner Summon Card
One White-Quality Troop Nest
One more White-Quality Commoner Summon Card
He used the green one first.
Class Change Card (Special): Upon use, grants a Hero class. The Hero class offers unlimited potential, allowing progression to higher tiers regardless of quality.
Gu Ning smiled when he saw the description. A special item that grants a Hero class!
From the description, the Hero class enhanced a creature's growth potential—not just its combat strength. That was much better than a simple stat boost.
He saved the card for Firefire. She had already reached gold quality—using this would elevate her to a legendary hero. He wasn't sure if it worked on pets, though.
Next, Gu Ning took out the Troop Nest and used it, hoping for a pleasant surprise.
Rock Giant Troop Nest (Blue): Allows recruitment of Rock Giants.
It was a surprise! The white-quality item had upgraded twice into blue-quality. And instead of a militia unit, it became a Rock Giant—a far stronger-sounding unit.
One last chance: Gu Ning used a Purple Stone and actually got two Purple Crystals—a small critical hit. He decided to give them to Firefire tomorrow.
Once finished, Gu Ning entered the arena.
He appeared once again in the corridor. The arena was packed—at night, most people had no entertainment, so the arena was a popular destination. It offered something to do, earned points, and helped improve combat skills.
Gu Ning didn't linger. He bought a virtual mask and casually found an empty seat.
Wearing the mask was a necessity. As he participated in more matches, more people began recognizing him. Without a mask, he'd be constantly interrupted. Talking to others was just a waste of time.
Sitting down, Gu Ning didn't start fighting right away. He first checked who was currently competing—maybe someone ranked near the top.
Watching other matches helped broaden his horizons. At the very least, he could learn about all kinds of strange talents and be better prepared when facing similar opponents later.
As he browsed, he bought a drink—spending a White Stone was nothing to him.
"Hey, you're wearing a mask too? Trying not to get recognized?"
A soft, fair hand patted Gu Ning's shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned to see who it was.
A petite girl with an eye-catching figure sat next to him, wearing a golden mask.
Gu Ning glanced at her—she was in a super short skirt and a white tank top with a chubby blue cat printed on it. The cat's face looked like it was being stretched by... ample pressure.