"My old bones are too old to dive down... It's very important to me!" the old sea turtle pleaded.
"So could you please help me find it?"
[Ding! Random NPC quest triggered: Hot Spring Guardian!]
【Task Content】: Help the administrator "Old Turtle" dive to the bottom of the "Deep Sea Healing" hot spring pool and retrieve his lost "Lucky Stone".
[Task Reward]: 3000 points, [Warm Jade] x1 (can slightly increase water affinity/accelerate the natural recovery speed of mental power).
【Danger Warning】: The pool water is extremely hot; prolonged immersion may result in severe burns. The pool bottom has a complex topography and is poorly lit.
Why is it necessary to dive further?
Whose hot spring is over ten meters deep?!
Also, the temperature is extremely high... Could it be connected to a hot spring? No wonder the water temperature is so abnormal.
Xiao Jin glanced at the quest prompt, his gaze lingering on the reward, [Warm Jade]. Increasing water affinity and accelerating mental energy recovery were both useful buffs.
"Location?" Xiao Jin asked succinctly.
The old sea turtle was taken aback by her quick agreement and then pointed to an area in the center of the pool where huge bubbles were constantly churning: "It's probably near that spring!"
The stone is blue and very bright; you'll know that as soon as you see it.
Xiao Jin nodded, then transformed the bathrobe back into clothing that allowed for easy movement.
She took a deep breath, her body suddenly sinking downwards like a nimble black fish, instantly disappearing beneath the churning, deep blue water.
The underwater world is completely different from the land.
The light quickly dimmed, with only a blurry halo of light shining down from above.
Moreover, just as the system indicated, the water temperature inside was much hotter and scalding than the surface, as if you were in a boiling pot of soup!
A sharp burning sensation shot through Xiao Jin's skin. She could even clearly feel her exposed skin, arms, neck, and cheeks turning bright red as if they were about to be scalded and blistered!
To make matters worse, the bottom of the pool was deeper than she had imagined.
The terrain was rugged and uneven, filled with smooth, jagged rocks and crevices eroded by the water. A huge hot spring gushed scorching water and bubbles from the center of the pool, creating powerful turbulence that interfered with Xiao Jin's vision and movements.
After about twenty minutes of diving, the pressure in my lungs from holding my breath began to show.
But this was not a problem for Xiao Jin.
With a thought, a round pearl the size of a pigeon egg, radiating a soft, milky-white glow, appeared in her palm.
Pearl oyster
Grade: Purple
Note: A pearl is generated every 24 hours. It allows for free underwater breathing and speaking for one hour and can be preserved.
Xiao Jin had had this prop for quite some time, but had never had the chance to use it.
She had saved a lot of pearls, most of which she sold, but Xiao Jin kept quite a few for herself.
Using the pearl prop, Xiao Jin immediately felt the tightness in her chest lessen, and then she found that she could breathe freely in the water.
Looking down closely, it turned out that after using the prop, a transparent film suddenly covered Xiao Jin's face.
It was this membrane that gave her the ability to breathe freely.
It's a pity that the pearl only allows Xiao Jin to breathe and talk in the water, but it can't keep him away from the water, so it can't protect him from the terrifyingly high temperature of the hot spring!
Xiao Jin continued to sink...
The burning sensation grew stronger and stronger, like countless red-hot steel needles pricking under the skin.
Soon, patches of abnormal dark red began to appear on Xiao Jin's arms and neck, and some areas even developed small, fluid-filled blisters.
The intense pain assaulted her nerves and tested her willpower.
Xiao Jin's eyes were cold, as if she couldn't feel the pain that would break an ordinary person.
Her body writhed like a fish in the scalding water, skillfully avoiding the powerful jets, her sharp eyes scanning the dark and complex bottom of the pool like searchlights.
With her strong willpower and amazing tolerance for physical pain, she quickly located a crevice in the rock that had been washed clean by the water and was emitting a faint blue light.
That's it!
She swam quickly closer, ignoring the sharp pain and new blisters on her arm from being scraped by the hot rock edge, and her slender fingers precisely probed into the crevice.
The next second, Xiao Jin touched a smooth, warm, oval stone that emitted a faint blue light. It was icy to the touch, a stark contrast to the scorching heat of the surrounding environment.
catch!
Quest item obtained!
The moment Xiao Jin grasped the "lucky stone," despite the presence of pearls, a strong sense of dizziness and suffocation suddenly struck her!
At that moment, the burning pain on Xiao Jin's skin seemed to reach its peak. Her brain was frantically issuing warnings: Danger! Get up there quickly! Otherwise, you'll be boiled alive!
Most people would have given up by now due to the excruciating pain and fear, desperately trying to swim upstream. In a state of panic, problems are most likely to arise.
Either you choke on water, or you get cramps...
But Xiao Jin's will was like cold iron that had been forged through countless trials!
She forcefully suppressed the warning signals from her body's instincts, pushed off the smooth rocks at the bottom of the pool with both feet, and her body shot upwards like an arrow against the scalding water at top speed!
Beside the hot spring pool, the old sea turtle was still waiting anxiously.
Sudden……
"Splash—!"
Water splashed everywhere, and a figure burst out of the water. The young lady nimbly flipped onto the shore, raising a cloud of scalding steam.
Upon landing, she gasped for breath, her skin a horrifying deep red, covered with countless blisters of varying sizes.
The condition was particularly horrific on the arms and neck. Some blisters had even ruptured, oozing a pale yellow fluid, a truly shocking sight!
The burning pain, like a leech, relentlessly assaulted Xiao Jin's nerves.
Upon seeing this, she immediately took out a bottle of [Healing Spray] from her system inventory and was about to spray it on herself.
But at that moment—
"Wait! Guest!" The old sea turtle on the shore hurriedly called out to stop them.
Xiao Jin paused, looking at it in confusion, only to see a sly smile on the old sea turtle's face.
The moment the old sea turtle finished speaking, the terrifying burn marks on Xiao Jin's body faded away rapidly, like snow exposed to sunlight, at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Her deep red skin quickly returned to its original jade-like whiteness, and the numerous blisters on it dried up and disappeared in the blink of an eye!
The ruptured wound healed instantly, leaving not a single scar.
Even that searing pain that went deep into the bone marrow receded like the tide, as if it had never happened!
In just two or three seconds, Xiao Jin's body was completely restored, her skin smooth and firm, as if the terrible burns she had just suffered were just a nightmare!
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