Guarded treasures.

The slope here gradually decreased, the water reaching up to her chest as she nervously stepped over the uneven bottom, pushing the duckweed out of her way.

He paused in the distance, glanced back, and noticed how far behind is she. Without any hesitation, he turned around. He went under the surface a short distance before her and swam past her to make a large circle around her. His tail rubbed against her ribs as he did so, making her stagger a bit.

"Why are you so slow?" he inquired, a touch of confusion in his voice. "Swim," he urged, his friendly demeanor contrasting his earlier impatience.

With her eyes cast down, she sincerely apologized.

"My body isn't built to swim faster than this, I don't slow you down on purpose, I'm really sorry,"

Without saying a word, he looked down at her briefly before turning around once more. She noticed his description changed just now.

Cold Blooded Crocodilian ~ friendly ~ 100% HP

This time, however, he chose to walk alongside Anna, leading the way at a steady pace with a straight back like her.

As he moved forward, he frequently glanced over his shoulder to check if she was still following him, maintaining a slow pace.

With a moment to observe her surroundings, she couldn't help but be captivated by the swamp's remarkable beauty. The gentle moonlight filtered through the canopy above, casting a soft glow that seemed to vanish into the depths of the murky water.

They were close already. She opened her inner sight and looked around. He leads her directly to them, so he really knows where they are... As they went closer, she was able to recognize more than one legendary flower in the deep water. She exhaled with relief and looked at the world with her eyes again, preparing to dive into the depths to claim her coveted prize. 

He walked a few meters in front of her, and suddenly the water was up to his upper chest, and with another step up to his shoulders, until he completely disappeared under the surface.

Reluctantly, she realized that diving was her only option if she wanted to obtain the flowers she so desperately desired to harvest.

With her feet barely touching the muddy ground, she mustered the courage to push off the bottom and continued swimming towards her goal.

It was slow and tiring, the skirt bothered her and hindered her, but nothing could be done. He swept past her left side again and the strong flow pulled her under the water like a stone. Anna came back to the surface, splashing the water that got into her nose, coughing, and rubbing water out of her eyes.

Suddenly the water swayed again, but this time, Anna ended up almost waist-high above the water. He held her under her arms above the surface and waved his broad tail to keep himself afloat.

"You swim like a frog. The slowest one I have ever seen. I'll take you under," He snarled, pulled her to his chest, and slapped himself on the back, straight under the surface. She barely managed to hold her breath.

As his speed increased and he descended further into the wide crack underwater, she struggled not to freak out.

Just when it seemed impossible to keep up, he abruptly slowed down and released his tight hold.

Anna opened her eyes and to her surprise found herself at the bottom of a rocky gap. Blue veins of some ore shone in the rocks, and in the bottom grew red tufts with long thin arms looking like whips, undulating in the churning water. A few temps were all it took and she was close to the first plant.

Red Whip ~ flower ~ legendary

With prompt moves, she buried the acquired seeds in the moist soil and proceeded to tend to the next plant.

She successfully gathered six plants and planted four seeds back, covering them with mud to keep them from floating away to preserve the fragile ecosystem.

At the end of the row, a glimmer caught her eye amidst the muddy ground.

Chest of the drowned emperor's beloved

She opened the lid and quickly took the items into her inventory.

Gown of the emperor's beloved + 325 HP

Red rune of the emperor's beloved + 100 strength

2 000 Gold

She then bounced off the empty chest with her legs in a desperate effort to reach the water's surface before her air ran out completely.

In a race against time, he swiftly scooped her onto his shoulder, hoisting her above the water.

Clinging onto his back, she gasped desperately for air, thoroughly soaked.