The Double Drop Buff Surviving The Endless Ocean novel Chapter 154

Chapter 154

Robin’s face fell.

But he didn’t dare refuse. He quickly put on a smile and said, “Of course. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I’ll whip up some food.

Robin dragged himself off to the kitchen, clearly not thrilled about it.

Meanwhile, the players had been waiting for ages, eager to see what incredible skills Robin would learn. They were getting impatient.

[Robin, where are Apprentice 8 and Apprentice 9? Are you still picking up new skills?]

[What’s happening?]

[Robin, come out. Are Apprentice 8 and Apprentice 9 dismantling the raft or something?]

Robin was feeling irritated, but he put on a relaxed front. [The two are super chill. They’re just wandering around my raft, and we’re having a nice chat.]

No way was he ever going to admit how messed up things really were for him.

For dinner, Robin used up every Rare ingredient he could get his hands on–wolf, lamb, and whatever fresh greens he could find.

He’d grown up fending for himself, so he was confident in his cooking skills.

Since he couldn’t figure out what Apprentice 8 and Apprentice 9 liked, and they wouldn’t tell him, he just whipped up a spread with both meat and veggies.

This meal cost him a fortune.

When he finally set the food out, Apprentice 9’s face soured. “Is this all you’ve got?”

Robin nearly jumped out of his skin. ‘What does she mean, is this all? I cooked five dishes, including meat and veggies, along with a soup, bread rolls and pasta. This is already a feast.”

Apprentice 8 nudged Apprentice 9. “Come on, you know he’s broke. Just make do with it.”

Apprentice 9 reluctantly picked up the fork, wrinkling her nose. “What is this supposed to be?”

Robin’s fork was made from wood. It was basic, but sturdy enough for everyday use.

Apprentice 9 tossed the fork aside. “Gross! I’m not eating this.”

Apprentice 8 took a bite, then set his fork down as well. “It’s so bland, there’s no taste at all. Whatever, I’m done.”

Robin was on edge. His dinner was top–tier in the whole ocean world, yet Apprentice 8 and Apprentice 9 still weren’t satisfied.

Just what do they usually eat, anyway?‘ he wondered. ‘Maybe it’s just because I don’t know their tastes. Looks like I really need their intro guide.

Feeling desperate, Robin wrote in the chat channel: [Does anyone have the intro guide for Apprentice 8 and Apprentice 9? I’ll pay a high price.]

Leeanne sent him a private message. [What do you have to trade?]

Robin was delighted. [You actually have it?]

Leeanne replied: [I doubt you can pay what I’m asking.]

Robin racked his brain. He’d been burning through his supplies lately and honestly didn’t have much left. [I still have a potted purple grapevine. Can I trade it for their info?]

Leeanne replied: [Nah, I already have a purple grapevine. I don’t need another. Do you have anything else?]

Robin shot back: [Hold on.]

He quickly hit up his crew, but anything worth having was already in his stash. His crew was flat broke, too.

After all that asking, he still came up empty–handed.

Out of options, Robin tried to make empty promises. [I don’t have anything right now, but I’ve always been lucky. Once I land on an island and find something valuable, I’ll give it to you, okay?]

Leeanne replied: [Nah, forget it.]

Robin started to panic. [Leeanne, I’m sorry about what happened before. Please, you have to help me this time. I… I’ll do whatever you

want from now on.]

He just couldn’t bring himself to say he’d be her sidekick.

Leeanne chuckled.

She never really intended to tell Robin anything. She was just messing with him, trying to see if he had any treasures left And if he did, she’d try to snag them for herself.

But it turned out that Robin had nothing valuable. Since he had no value, Leeanne stopped replying.

Robin tried everything to win her over, but Leeanne stayed silent.

Just then, Vanessa sent Robin a private message. [I have some intel on Apprentice 8 and Apprentice 9. What can you trade for it?]

Robin had nothing left, so he kept promising the moon, hoping she’d bite.

Vanessa replied: [Nah, forget it. Our boss doesn’t let us make losing deals.]

She was sent by Enrique to probe Robin and see what he still had to offer.

Robin got nothing for all his trouble.

He was feeling pretty bummed and totally out of options.

After closing the chat window, Robin found Apprentice 8 and Apprentice 9 staring daggers at him.

Apprentice 8 snapped, “Are you going to learn or not? If not, we’re out of here.”

Apprentice 9 scoffed, “You’re like a fool. If Mr. Sullivan hadn’t ordered us, we wouldn’t even bother coming to this crappy place.”

Leeanne sent him a private message. [What do you have to trade?]

Robin was delighted. [You actually have it?]

Leeanne replied: [I doubt you can pay what I’m asking.]

Robin racked his brain. He’d been burning through his supplies lately and honestly didn’t have much left. [I still have at potted purple grapevine. Can I trade it for their info?]

Leeanne replied: [Nah, I already have a purple grapevine. I don’t need another. Do you have anything else?]

Robin shot back: [Hold on.]

He quickly hit up his crew, but anything worth having was already in his stash. His crew was flat broke, too.

After all that asking, he still came up empty–handed.

Out of options, Robin tried to make empty promises. [I don’t have anything right now, but I’ve always been lucky. Once I land on an island and find something valuable, I’ll give it to you, okay?]

Robin couldn’t help feeling smug. ‘Guess Lucas’s invitation card is indeed effective, he thought.

“What?” Robin was frustrated. ‘So I have to cough up my own materials for this? I’m almost out of stuff, Robin thought. Seeing Robin dragging his feet, Apprentice 8 lost his patience. “Are you going to learn or not? If not, I’m heading back

“I’ll learn, I’ll learn.” Robin gritted his teeth and handed over his supplies, feeling the sting. This was pretty much everything he had left, just enough to build a wooden pleasure boat.

“These materials are way too cheap,” Apprentice 8 said with a frown.

‘If you think they’re so bad, why don’t you just hand over some better stuff?‘ Robin almost blurted out his thought.

“Fine, I’ll just make do,” Apprentice 8 said reluctantly.

Just as Robin was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Apprentice 9 called out, “Come here. I’ll show you how to upgrade your raft. This thing is way too weak. Defense is next to nothing.”

‘Is Apprentice 9 going to teach me a skill, too?‘ Robin thought, his heart leaping with excitement.

Apprentice 9 asked, “Do you have any Redbeak Wood?”

‘Redbeak Wood? That’s some seriously expensive material. Are they going to use it for the raft?‘ Robin thought, completely

Apprentice 9 exploded, “Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Are you brain–dead or something? I’m asking you a question. Don’t tell me you don’t have any. What, are you broke?”

Robin’s eyes were burning with anger, but he barely managed to keep it together.

No one had dared to speak to him like that in years.

He did have some Redbeak Wood, but Apprentice 9 complained that it wasn’t enough. Left with no other option, Robin reluctantly traded away the last of his supplies at the trading hall just to scrape together more.

Apprentice 9 seemed pleased at last. “Alright, go check on Apprentice 8 and see if he needs anything else.”

Robin glanced at Apprentice 8, who was busy building the wooden pleasure boat. When he turned back, he saw that Apprentice 9 had somehow made all the Redbeak Wood vanish and was now only holding cheap willow wood.

Isn’t this just swapping out the good stuff for junk? Robin thought, feeling cheated.

He barely managed to ask before Apprentice 9 started yelling at him again. Robin was completely worn out, both physically and mentally.

At that moment, the chat channel was blowing up. Everyone was dying to know what was going on with Robin.

[It’s been half an hour already. Why’s it taking so long?]

(Usually, if it drags on this much, it means his whole setup’s getting trashed.]

[Or maybe, just maybe, Robin’s lucked out like Leeanne. He and Lucas’s apprentices are vibing, and they’re teaching him some amazing skills.]

[Exactly. If they’re not wrecking his place, they must be teaching him some real skills. Looks like Robin’s finally getting some good luck.]

Max chimed in: [My boss has always been lucky. Whatever skills he’s learning, they’re definitely going to blow Leeanne’s out of the water.]

Maximus added: [Just wait. You guys are going to be totally floored in a minute. He’s getting two skills at once. Of course, he needs some time to process it all.]

Just then, a game broadcast flashed across the screen.

[Apprentice 8 has taught Robin the construction skill, Misfortune Curse. Every house built comes with a bad luck aura. Even after it’s torn down, the curse sticks around for three days.]

[Apprentice 9 has taught Robin the construction skill, Shoddy Craftsmanship. Every house built is of poor quality and eats up extra materials. The raft’s defense has dropped by 200 percent.]

[Apprentice 9 has taught Robin the construction skill, Substitution Trick. Stash the good stuff, slap together the trash, and a reward is gained every time. Sweet!]

[Apprentice 8 gave Robin a hard kick, stormed off his raft, and headed off to continue his journey.]

[Apprentice 9 gave Robin a piece of his mind, then stormed off his raft, still fuming as she headed off to continue her journey.]