At breakfast, as usual, none of the three mentioned the shared dream from last night. It was as if they had tacitly agreed to keep it a secret known only to them.
Of course, Julia, the Gu mother and daughter, and the Kaede/Kaoru duo each harbored a similar secret in their hearts. These hidden affections were destined to remain unspoken.
Those bizarre [Other Shore Trials] made them momentarily believe in that reality, only for it to shatter like a mirage upon waking. What remained were fleeting yet profound memories.
And a firmer love for Chuck.
A new day began.
After breakfast, Chuck rushed to Redstone Hills. He found an elderly female goat from the nearby wild herd, tranquilized it with a dart, and brought it back.
Before leaving, he checked on the herd. After his series of tribulations, only five wild goats remained at Redstone Hills: one ram, two ewes, and two kids (one male, one female).
Although their quality was inferior to Janet's domestic herd, leaving them to roam without predators would likely allow them to recover slowly, preventing extinction.
Skinning and butchering the goat replenished the dwindling meat supply. Though the meat wasn't plentiful, with a balanced diet, it would last the family about ten days.
During this time, Chuck either had to find a way to fish or push through the western region, conquering the lake plains to achieve meat independence.
Leaving the curing and cutting to Yitong and Kaoru, Chuck returned to the workbench just as the countdowns ended.
The last three quartz sandstone bricks were processed.
With steel wedges, efficiency and tool durability had improved significantly.
Chuck didn't rush to complete the blueprint. Confirming the women were out, he stored the massive round bed that occupied half the main room into his inventory.
The Rank 7 Stone Residence Upgrade mainly expanded the existing stone house and eastern storage room by adding a kitchen to the west and a bedroom to the north, near the artificial cave.
During the upgrade process, as he built the load-bearing and outer walls step by step, Chuck confirmed the north bedroom was a square room, slightly smaller than the main hall but large enough for the supersized round bed.
This meant after the upgrade, he and the women could move into the inner room, freeing up the main hall to serve as a proper living room.
This would greatly facilitate activities.
Chuck passed through the finished limestone inner walls. At a gap in the outer wall corner, he added the last three quartz sandstone bricks to the blueprint.
The progress bar climbed, reaching 100% and dissolving into blue light.
Screens appeared before Chuck.
[Desert Island Residence — Upgrade Complete!] [Congratulations! From a shack to a wooden cabin, then to a stone house, and finally expanding into a fully functional residence! You officially own a Desert Island Home!] [Custom Blueprint Function Unlocked!] [From now on, how you upgrade and expand your residence is entirely up to you. The blueprint system will evaluate and advise on your designs. Build your own island home as you wish!] [Residence preset construction options are as follows...]
"Holy..."
Although he expected differences, Chuck hadn't anticipated such a drastic change.
Designing his own house according to his needs? It was like a building game. Too awesome.
Eagerly, Chuck opened the newly unlocked Custom Blueprint function. A 3D interface similar to the DIY Multi-Recipe panel appeared, displaying a miniature 3D model of his current residence in the center!
On the side were simple options: [Wall], [Foundation], [Roof], [Stairs], [Door], [Window]...
Clicking [Wall], sub-options appeared, with the latter ones grayed out as question marks.
[Wood Wall], [Hardwood Wall], [Limestone Brick Wall], [Quartz Sandstone Brick Wall], [???], [???]...
It seemed only unlocked materials appeared.
After some study, Chuck grasped the beauty of the custom blueprint.
In short, for any expansion or renovation, he could design a target blueprint—adding walls, raising foundations, adding rooms...
Once designed, the system calculated the materials. Trigger the blueprint, add materials, fill the bar, and it's built.
Of course, complex designs required massive and complex materials. What the house became depended entirely on Chuck.
"Not bad at all..."
Though not an architect, with the women's consultation and the cheat's evaluations, building a dream island villa didn't seem far off.
Chuck nodded with satisfaction and closed the function.
The villa was a future goal. It wasn't a priority now.
The expanded residence now had four rooms—storage, cooking, sleeping, and living spaces were ample. In terms of comfort on a deserted island, it was quite good.
So, for the next while, Chuck could focus on more urgent matters.
...
The most urgent matter was undoubtedly exploring the west and occupying the lake plains.
Chuck wasn't sure what Jiang Qi was hiding, and he wouldn't ask. He just needed to make the Essence Potion and cure whatever ailed this ex-girlfriend who stirred his desires.
Step one: kill the leopard, then worry about the tiger.
Before that, he needed a day or two to prepare.
He had to forge the planned weapons and armor. Since Valentina would fight alongside him, she needed suitable gear too. Plus ranged javelins, and most importantly, discussing tactics.
This wouldn't happen overnight. To prevent a meat shortage and buy time for the boss fight, Chuck decided to prioritize exploring the nearshore for fishing.
After rearranging the beds and announcing the house completion to the women's delight, Chuck took Kaoru through the southern jungle to the beach where he first woke up.
Standing on the sand, looking left and right at the coastline ending in rocks.
"Mr. Chuck... what are we looking for?"
Kaoru held his arm, looking up at him with a soft question.
Her obedient, gentle appearance showed no trace of the former blonde gyaru.
"A good fishing spot."
"Fishing?"
Kaoru paused, then a look of unexpected joy appeared on her face.
"Do you like fishing too, Mr. Chuck?"
"...Too?"
Chuck, frowning slightly in thought, noticed her odd phrasing. He looked down at the soft gyaru. "Do you know someone else who likes fishing?"
"Of course, Papa... I mean, my real dad."
Kaoru blushed as she clarified. Perhaps corrupted by Momo, she often subconsciously called out that embarrassing title when Chuck fucked her senseless recently.
Chuck didn't mind. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Your father likes fishing? Is he experienced?"
"Mmh... he was the president of the Aoi Fishing Association or something. He took me fishing when I was little, so I guess he's experienced."
Really??
Chuck was astonished.
He thought Kaoru's bonus came from her being a "gold digger" (fishing for men), but she actually came from a fishing family...
Thinking of this, Chuck's eyes lit up. He hugged her waist and asked tentatively.
"So, can you fish, Kaoru?"
Kaoru wanted to be modest, but seeing his expectant expression, she nodded carefully.
"I... can try."
"Great!"
Overjoyed, Chuck lifted Kaoru and spun her around, eliciting squeals and dizziness.
He had worried that despite the bonus, her delicate physique might make handling a rod difficult. But with childhood experience, that concern vanished. Even if she later focused on being a gyaru, she must have picked up something growing up.
"So, Mr. Chuck, if you're looking for a fishing spot..."
Rubbing her forehead to stop the spinning, Kaoru tidied her hair and pointed to the right coast.
"I remember a reef area over there. The nearby shallow water should be a good spot."
Chuck nodded happily, leading her east along the beach.
Though somewhat chauvinistic, as a layman in many fields, Chuck was good at listening to advice.
To their left facing the sea was the eastern side of the southern beach, near the cave where he first lived with Julia.
Passing the cave and continuing west (relative to the beach orientation), they reached the reef area Kaoru mentioned.
Chuck wasn't unfamiliar with this place; he had foraged here before. But he hadn't visited much since.
Reaching the reef, Kaoru didn't stop. She bypassed the hard rocks on the beach, took off her shoes, and stepped into the shallow water with her pink bare feet. She pointed forward again.
"Near those coral reefs, we might catch grouper or sea bass."
Coral reefs!
Following her finger, Chuck realized.
How could I forget!
When making lime, he had collected coral from the shallows here. Although he hadn't dived, he had seen small fish teeming around.
Big fish eat small fish. Where there are small fish, there must be big fish!
"Wait here a moment."
Chuck didn't shy away. He stripped naked in front of Kaoru, then walked step by step into the shallow sea as she blushed.
This was his first time going deep into the sea. Though he didn't plan to dive deep, it was a first step in exploring a vast new area.
Passing the coral gathering area, Chuck went deeper. The sand underfoot grew coarse, seaweed more abundant. The water level rose.
Knees, thighs, waist, chest.
Facing the waves, Chuck jumped lightly, moving gracefully. Looking back, Kaoru was thumb-sized.
This was about the limit of safe depth for him.
Realizing this, Chuck stopped. He took a deep breath and submerged, opening his eyes.
The scene before him stunned him.
Sunlight shattered on the surface, casting spots of light downward like slowly sinking gold dust.
The shallow sea wasn't dim; visibility was exceptional. Undulating coral reefs spread out, interspersed with patches of seaweed swaying gently in the current. Schools of small fish swam in unison against the rocks, weaving through the coral, leaving ripples in the water.
Chuck hovered, slowing his breathing, letting his body rise and fall with the current.
He confirmed Kaoru's judgment.
This was indeed an excellent spot for shallow water fishing.
Having found the spot, the rest was simple.
Chuck nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to surface, his gaze was drawn to the dark depths in the distance.
It was the invisible deep sea, but with his high mental stats, Chuck vaguely saw a flash of cold light that sent shivers down his spine.
It appeared for an instant and vanished, as if it had never been there.
Moments later, Chuck stood up from the water and walked silently to the shore, his expression turning solemn.
As expected.
Since it's an island, the sea... likely has its own "beast" ruling a territory.