After Lin Yu finished reciting his oath, Phantom opened his bag and took out three strangely shaped fish tied together with a rope. He then threw them accurately toward Lin Yu, who caught them effortlessly in his arms.
With the fish secured, Lin Yu turned to leave. The most valuable gain from this exchange with Phantom wasn't the three fish... but rather the conversation during the oath-taking.
"Swear before the gods"—though Phantom's tone had been joking, his relieved and somewhat solemn expression after Lin Yu's genuine oath suggested this vow carried real weight. Considering this game truly had deities...
"Do the gods actually witness such oaths?" Lin Yu couldn't help wondering.
Regardless, this behavior fit Fluoxetine's established character. After all, Fluoxetine had mentioned gods when trying to kill him earlier, and Robin hadn't batted an eye when he emphasized divine matters during their conversation. Apparently, Fluoxetine was exactly the type who'd frequently spout such mystical nonsense.
"The Psychological Society might call itself an academic organization, but it could very well be some extreme religious cult..." Lin Yu mused.
Carrying the fish this time, he didn't return to the dining table. Phantom had thoughtfully tied them with rope, and more importantly—time was running out. Lin Yu had been mentally counting down the thirty minutes, and making another round trip now would likely cut it too close. His robbery mission remained incomplete.
After parting with Phantom, Lin Yu quickly located his final target—the unassuming old farmer Radish from the Player Mutual Aid Association. This choice had been predetermined through simple elimination.
Therefore, within the limited time, he needed to rob the easiest targets available. In Lin Yu's analysis, Fish from the Marauders topped the "do not rob" list. While perhaps not as unhinged as Fluoxetine, this girl had a notoriously explosive temper. Every time Lin Yu provoked conflict, she responded enthusiastically—unlike Mosin-Nagant who only brandished weapons to appear intimidating. Fish genuinely relished every fight.
Additionally, she possessed a Unique Class whose abilities Lin Yu still hadn't figured out. From what he could gather, her Freelancer class, like his own Fraudster, could somehow utilize other class abilities under certain conditions... which made interacting with her even less appealing.
The remaining two—Gambler Li Hua and Painter Robin—were also best left undisturbed in Lin Yu's opinion. Li Hua's probability-reading abilities would have recovered somewhat by now, making him difficult to fool. As for Robin... their earlier one-on-one conversation had already been extensive enough. Attempting to rob her might actually expose his deception.
Thus, Lin Yu's final robbery targets became Mosin-Nagant, Phantom, and Radish. With the help of his Active Map, locating Radish proved simple enough. Soon, Lin Yu spotted the elderly farmer's figure amidst the sea of clouds.
This unassuming old man truly excelled outside combat. His earlier calm handling of the snail's toxin had already demonstrated impressive survival skills. But when Lin Yu found him, he couldn't help but marvel.
"Now this is what you call a 'bumper harvest'..."
In the distance, Radish carried a bamboo basket with two open woven bags tied at his waist while swinging a massive fishing net to catch some kind of "transparent" fish in the air. His bags and basket overflowed with various bubble-blowing sea snails, flat disc-shaped prawns, and brightly colored starfish—all four ingredient types from the menu!
This aligned with Lin Yu's expectations—Radish's steady personality and apparent talent for "finding things" made him an ideal target precisely because he'd likely have all the safe, basic ingredients. But the old man's thoroughness still surprised Lin Yu—he'd collected everything!
For Lin Yu, this was perfect. Clearing his throat, he called out:
"Sorry about this, Elder Radish!"
"I'm here to rob you!"
Radish turned in alarm at the declaration. "Rob me?! You... you want to rob what?"
"These 'aquatic products,' of course." Lin Yu grinned.
Though initially flustered, Radish visibly calmed upon hearing this. He exhaled deeply. "Oh, is that all? You want what I've gathered? You should've said so—it's no big deal!"
Without hesitation, Radish immediately removed his woven bags and basket. "Take them, no problem at all!" Despite Lin Yu's robbery announcement, Radish now acted as if receiving an honored guest!
Witnessing such generosity, Lin Yu pressed his lips together. This was going even smoother than anticipated... The situation felt so congenial that even if he'd harbored ill intentions, he'd have struggled to follow through. Who'd have thought robbery could feel this... pleasant?
No wonder this famously weak fighter had survived so long—it wasn't just his organization's backing. Perhaps this very personality had allowed him to build the Player Mutual Aid Association into its current size.
"I don't need everything—just half will do." Lin Yu sighed, then addressed Radish sincerely with a touch of Fluoxetine's mannerisms: "Elder Radish, you truly are a remarkable individual."
Radish mixed all ingredient types into one woven bag and handed it over. "Haha, you flatter me," he chuckled.