Chapter 59 - 60: Level 4 Upgrade Conditions

Chapter 59: Chapter 60: Level 4 Upgrade Conditions

This time, Big Black did not emit a fierce cry, but rather a shriek filled with pain and terror.

Lin Ji controlled his strength perfectly, applying just enough pressure to reach its limit of endurance—enough to make it feel the deadly threat of being crushed at any moment, yet not enough to shatter its cervical spine.

It lasted less than three seconds.

Big Black’s limbs, which had been frantically struggling, instantly went limp.

The ferocious glint in its dark green eyes completely vanished, replaced by deep fear and a pleading look.

It even began to emit low whimpers, similar to those of a puppy, trying to show submission to Lin Ji.

Sensing that it had completely yielded, Lin Ji slightly loosened his grip and tossed it back onto the table.

Now free, Big Black was clearly much more subdued.

It crouched timidly on the table, not even daring to lift its head. The occasional furtive glances it cast toward Lin Ji were filled with reverence and obedience.

"Big Black!"

Seeing this, Bai Taotao ran over, her heart aching. She carefully picked up Big Black in her palms and gently rubbed her cheek against its fur.

Her large, watery eyes were full of dissatisfaction with Lin Ji’s earlier rough treatment, but she didn’t dare to argue.

She could only stand by, tenderly stroking Big Black’s head.

In Bai Taotao’s hands, however, Big Black behaved with unusual gentleness, even actively rubbing its small head against her palm.

Clearly, the passive effect of Bai Taotao’s [E-grade·Affinity] talent was at work.

This little monster had already taken her as its mother.

"Does this little thing need to be fed milk?"

Lin Ji asked, somewhat amused by Bai Taotao’s protective demeanor.

At this topic, Bai Taotao’s already aggrieved face instantly flushed red to the tips of her ears.

"Captain brother... I... I don’t have milk to feed them..."

The little girl stammered, instinctively glancing at her chest, which, though well-developed, clearly wasn’t equipped for such a function.

"But..."

Bai Taotao quickly changed the subject, pointing at the teeth in Big Black’s mouth:

"They grow so fast."

"It’s as if they’re born with teeth. Big Black can already chew small pieces of cooked meat."

"No need for milk. Feeding them meat will do."

Hearing this, Lin Ji nodded thoughtfully.

Eating meat is good.

The Forbidden Sea is never short of meat from various mutated sea beasts.

As long as there is a sufficient food supply, if these three rats with A-grade potential can grow quickly, they will undoubtedly become a formidable force on the ship.

"Since they have such potential, I wonder if they can be bound to the ship like recruiting crew members?"

A thought suddenly crossed Lin Ji’s mind.

If these mutated rats could be formally added to the Fleet, they would not only benefit from the Vessel’s attribute bonuses, but he could also check their status at any time.

Thinking of this, he immediately communicated with the system in his mind.

"System, can tamed mutated beasts or spirit beasts be added to the ship’s official member list?"

The system’s voice soon responded.

[Ding! Reply to host: The current Vessel level is too low. The [Mutated Beast Containment and Binding] function has not yet been unlocked.]

[Note: The Vessel must be upgraded to Level 4, and a dedicated [Beast Pen] must be constructed before non-human creatures can be officially registered to enjoy vehicle enhancement and bond effects.]

Hearing this answer, although Lin Ji was somewhat disappointed, it was within his expectations.

After all, Level 3 was only the initial step away from the category of a raft, making it a true ship.

To possess more advanced functions, the key was to upgrade the Vessel as soon as possible.

Lin Ji nodded and opened the System Panel in his mind, looking at the Vessel upgrade interface.

[Level 3 → Level 4 Upgrade Additional Conditions]

[1. Vessel Armament Value: Reach 100 points.]

[2. Vessel Power Value: Reach 100 points.]

[Current Vessel Status:]

[Armament Value: 0 points.] (No shipboard attack/defense Weapon Systems installed)

[Power Value: 90 points.] (Currently provided by three Steam Cores driven by the Crimson Sky Forge)

Looking at these two sets of data, Lin Ji frowned.

An Armament Value of 0 was easy to understand.

Although their ship’s hull was now made of High-Density Alloy Plates, making it incredibly sturdy, it was essentially just an iron turtle with no means of active attack, relying entirely on the crew’s own talents in combat.

To increase the Armament Value, they had to install cannons, ballistae, or even more advanced Weapon Systems on the ship.

What gave Lin Ji the biggest headache, however, was that Power Value stuck at 90 points!

"Three Steam Cores, each providing 30 points of power..."

"That means to reach 100 points, we need at least a fourth Steam Core running at full capacity."

"Or, we need to replace the power source with something else..."

Lin Ji calculated silently.

However, Tang Ling’s [Crimson Sky Forge], as the heat source, could currently only power three Steam Cores simultaneously at most.

Lin Ji sighed.

"We must find real, high-purity fuel."

And in the Trading House information he knew, the best fuel was undoubtedly the [Level 3 Monster Core] priced as high as 3000 Evolution Points!

"System, what about the upgrade from Level 4 to Level 5?"

Lin Ji asked persistently, trying to probe for more information.

[Ding! Insufficient permissions.]

[System Prompt: Host’s current Vessel level is too low to view cross-level upgrade conditions. Please first upgrade the Vessel to Level 4 to unlock Level 5 related Intelligence.]

The cold mechanical voice shattered Lin Ji’s fantasy.

However, although he couldn’t directly see the Level 5 upgrade conditions, a flash of insight suddenly crossed Lin Ji’s mind.

He realized an extremely crucial underlying logic!

"Upgrading the Vessel ahead of time isn’t just for obtaining stronger defense, faster speed, and attribute enhancements..."

"The more important, perhaps even the core value lies in—the information gap!"

A gleam flashed in Lin Ji’s eyes as his mind raced.

"Just like when I upgraded from Level 2 to Level 3, I only then learned that besides basic materials, upgrading to Level 4 also has mandatory requirements for [Armament Value] and [Power Value]!"

"If I were still an ordinary person struggling on a Level 2 Raft, I would never have been able to collect weapon blueprints and high-grade fuel in advance!"

"One step ahead, every step ahead!"

Following this line of thought, Lin Ji’s gaze instantly locked onto the transparent steam bathroom he had just installed in the second-floor Captain’s cabin.

He clearly remembered that after installing that bathroom, the system had prompted a previously unseen value.

—[Comfort Level]!

"If upgrading from Level 3 to Level 4 added two mandatory indicators—armament and power."

"Then upgrading from Level 4 to Level 5... would most likely impose requirements on other additional attributes!"

"And the most likely one is Comfort Level!"