She was slightly out of breath. Feeling Gu Ning's heated gaze, she whispered, "My lord… I'm not ready yet…"
As she spoke, she lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.
Gu Ning had momentarily lost control earlier, but now he'd regained his clarity.
"It's okay. I was a little too forward. Let's get some rest," he said gently, even though he felt a twinge of disappointment.
He was actually more aware of their intimacy level than Windsor herself—after all, he had a progress bar to reference.
Gu Ning wasn't in a rush. After spending the whole day together, Windsor's affection had already reached 87. He was confident it would hit 90 by tomorrow night.
"I'm sorry, my lord," Windsor said, seeing the disappointment in his eyes. She looked guilty as she leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips.
"It's really fine. Get some rest," Gu Ning replied. "Also, you don't have to call me 'my lord' anymore. My name is Gu Ning. Just call me that."
"Ah?" Windsor looked surprised, ready to object, but when she saw the look in Gu Ning's eyes, she obediently nodded.
"Try it a few times—get used to it," Gu Ning encouraged.
Blushing, Windsor closed her eyes and softly whispered, "Gu Ning." Her voice was barely audible.
"Louder."
"Gu Ning." This time, it was a little clearer.
She said it a few more times, and eventually, Windsor grew used to it and opened her eyes to meet Gu Ning's gaze.
At that moment, the bond between the two of them deepened.
Gu Ning held Windsor close, his hands roaming over her curves. Windsor didn't resist, though her breathing was heavier than usual.
They lay there talking, and eventually drifted off to sleep.
Half-asleep, Gu Ning felt someone poking his face. He opened his eyes to find Huohuo tapping his cheek with her little magic wand.
As soon as Huohuo saw he was awake, she urgently pointed at the floor. Gu Ning followed her gesture and instantly snapped to full alert.
There was water all over the floor of the room!
He immediately got up and rushed outside.
The rain was pouring even harder than it had during the day. The raindrops were massive and densely packed. Looking into the distance, it seemed like water was being dumped straight from the sky.
And it was getting worse. The wooden ship had already accumulated a significant layer of water on deck.
Just then, Windsor arrived at his side.
"Windsor, go get Molly and the others, now!" Gu Ning ordered.
He opened the tech interface and immediately upgraded the Drainage Technology to level 3, spending 2,000 White Stones.
Even so, the drain couldn't keep up with the rainfall, though it did slow the buildup somewhat.
Gu Ning didn't continue upgrading. The day was almost over, and he figured they could handle the rest manually.
Soon after, Molly and the other three arrived.
"You four, head to the fishing platform and start scooping water out—fast!" Gu Ning ordered, handing them all basins.
"Yes, my lord!" they responded and rushed off to follow orders.
It was now deep into the night, nearly dawn. No one knew how long the rain would last. If it poured all day on Day Six, survival would be unlikely for most.
Gu Ning opened the chat channel.
"Guys, the rain's getting worse! I'm doomed!"
"Sh*t, good thing I posted guards, or my ship would've sunk already!"
"That Sky Mother's really trying to wipe us all out!"
Desperation filled the chat. There weren't many messages—most people were probably too busy saving their ships.
Gu Ning assessed the situation. With Molly and the others bailing water, there was no need to upgrade further.
He sent Huohuo back to charging the ship, letting it keep moving forward, while he slipped his arm around Windsor's waist and returned to their cabin.
He asked Windsor to use light magic to evaporate the dampness inside, and once the room was dry, they laid down again to sleep.
Just then, Gu Ning received messages from Wang Mu and Li Chong.
"Boss, help me!" — Wang Mu"Boss, I'm desperate here!" — Li Chong
"What's going on?" Gu Ning ignored Li Chong for the moment and replied to Wang Mu first.
"Boss, could you lend me some stones? I'll pay you back. If I don't upgrade my drainage tech now, I'm screwed. Please, I'm begging you!"
Wang Mu's reply was quick—he was clearly panicking.
Gu Ning thought for a moment and sent him 1,000 White Stones.
Wang Mu had been working hard for him these past couple of days, and Gu Ning didn't mind helping him out—especially since it was a loan. He wasn't worried about getting repaid. With their ongoing collaboration, Wang Mu would keep earning. Not paying this back would kill his credibility and ruin future deals.
Gu Ning also knew that if he let Wang Mu die, the guy could easily go to the chat channel and call him out for turning a blind eye. That would wreck his reputation and make it hard to find loyal workers in the future.
So morally and strategically, he had to save Wang Mu.
Wang Mu was ecstatic after receiving the White Stones and immediately upgraded his drainage tech. He had five civilians helping him bail out water.
"Thank you, boss! Thank you so much!" Wang Mu was truly grateful. This was a lifesaving favor. He felt lucky to have connected with Gu Ning.
"Just stay alive for now," Gu Ning replied.
"What's your situation, Li Chong?" Gu Ning messaged, far less inclined to lend him anything. Their relationship was minimal—a single past transaction.
"Boss, how about these two items for 2,000 White Stones?" Li Chong replied, quickly sending two pictures.
One showed a Territory Core, the other a Ship Core.
Gu Ning frowned. He didn't know the full value of these items yet, but they were clearly rare—certainly worth more than 1,000 White Stones.
The Territory Core could be used to establish a new base. As for the Ship Core, Gu Ning wasn't sure yet, but he suspected it would be necessary for upgrading his vessel later.
"These don't seem useful at the moment. Got anything else?" Gu Ning replied. He was interested, but not eager to show it. He wanted to see if Li Chong had anything better.
Unfortunately, Li Chong was out of options. If he hadn't been desperate, he wouldn't be offering these.
"Boss, I swear these are my best items. If I survive this, any good stuff I get in the future—I'll sell it to you first, even if I don't use it myself."
Gu Ning could tell he was being sincere, though he didn't take that last promise too seriously. After all, they weren't exactly close.
"Alright, fine. Let's trade. But next time, give me first dibs on anything good—I'll make sure the price is fair." Gu Ning made the deal, though he made it sound reluctant in his message.
He accepted the two cores and smiled quietly to himself.
He hadn't expected such a nice bonus tonight.