POV Amy

Amy had spent the last day or so figuring out what she wanted to do with her dungeon. It was evident to her that most of her dungeon will focus on the underwater or water environment aspect, at least for a long time. She wanted to make it beautiful, spectacular, one of a kind, or at least, just interesting. And that was just for the water sections of her dungeon. Amy had no clue what she was going to do for the land and possibly air or underground sections of her dungeon. Well, she supposed she could always try making one of the aquatic plants or creatures into a land or air creature. She did have that adaptation affinity after all.

As she was thinking about how the direction of the dungeon would go, Amy sensed two small boats, from the ship that was anchored just outside her territory, enter into her territory. She watched as the two small ships paddled towards the iceberg, and the people on the boats climbed onto the ice.

She studied the group, and Amy realized something. One of the people who came with the group was the crazy guy from the first-ever group of adventurers. This ought to be interesting, it was for the first round with that guy. Wonder what he will do this time.

So Amy watched them. She watched the group find the entrance to her portal and how they brought the two small boats that they came with into the tunnel. Since they did this, Amy knew that they at least had some knowledge about what lies within her dungeon.

The group traversed through her tunnel and reached the portal room. This is where they did something that she never saw or would have thought would happen.

A tall man, which she presumed was the leader, took a small pouch and poured some stones and seeds into his hand. He then placed his hand into the room's water and said something directed to her.

"Please take my offerings and give me and my group protection. We do not mean any harm to your core, so please do not take extreme measures against us."

So that was a little offering for leniency. But, in truth, Amy would probably let them go at it with the attitude for the monsters to attack if provoked or annoyed. She figured that that was the best way to be lenient but also being safe.

She also made sure to let Calder know that adventurers are coming into the dungeon and to make himself scarce or hide if he does not want to be seen by the adventurers.

After the leader of the group spoke to her and gave an offering, the rest of the group all gave one or two objects from similar pouches, including the weird guy.

Amy left the objects in the water as the two groups climbed back into the two small boats paddled through the portal. After the group made it through the portal, the boats dropped into water, jostling the people in them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The group took a couple of seconds to recover from the drop before they started paddling around. Amy watched the group paddle around and for a couple of minutes before she turned attention back to the objects given to her.

She absorbed the objects into her domain and pulled up the descriptions.

Yellow Birch Seed

A species of birch tree that grows most commonly in sandy, wet areas.

Hanging Moss

A species of moss that hangs down from trees. It is not parasitic, it absorbs water and nutrients through the air.

Walking Palm Seed

A species of tree with stilt roots that allow the tree to slowly move around for sunlight or push itself back up if it has fallen.

Water Pad Pod

A large water lily that grows in oceanic environments. It has a strong stem and spikes on the underside of the pad to prevent predators from eating it.

Flowering Praying Mantis Egg Sack

An egg sack of a flowering praying mantis that has been kept in stasis. This predator will change its colour to adapt to the colours of the flowers that it lives and hunts in.

Small Ridgeleche Copper Nugget

A small piece of copper that is commonly mined and found within the ridgeleche archipelago islands.

Hanging Pitcher Plant

A type of hanging carnivorous plant that lures in insects to eat them.

Transparent Dart Frog Egg

A species of poisonous frog that's skin is completely transparent.

Spiral Orchid Seed

A species of poisonous orchid that hangs off trees. This flower has long, spiral-like whiskers that produce a sticky and acidic poison.

Oh, Amy was quite pleased about what she gained from the offerings. Of course, she could use all of these new plants on both the island and the mangrove floating island, but that would have to wait for now.

She also hoped that maybe adventure groups who would come would give her donations or offerings in the future. So Amy decided to make a place where they could put the offering. Using a string of ice mana, she created a waist-high pillar with a wide bowl on top of the pillar. This would make it easier for her to collect the offerings and hopefully push the visiting groups to give her new things to work with.

Amy turned her attention back to the two boats and saw that they had made it almost to the Northern section of the first floor. She observed one person on the first boat sketching and outlining the edge of the first floor. Another person in the second boat was looking intently within the water and occasionally making writing motions on a piece of paper.

After a bit more sketching and writing along the edge of the first floor, they started to make their way inwards. They kept on rowing and noting anything that they spotted around them, and soon they reached the barrier with a slight thud.

"Alright, guys," said the leader of the group. "I've seen this in dungeons that are not layered. It is a barrier that prevents the crossing into the next floor without doing a task or defeating a dungeon boss."

As the rest of the group took in this, the leader began to talk again.

"There is at least a second floor, and we are nowhere near prepared to do anything of the sort, so I say that we head back. Do you all agree?"

The two boats started to head back to the portal with nods and voiced agreement.