第１８８５堀：自然の不思議 (Part1)
Chapter 1885: The Wonders of Nature
Side: Yuki
"I'm back."
"Welcome home!"
Taiki-kun entered the office with those words, and I greeted his return with a relaxed smile.
"Taiki-sama, thank you for your hard work. Please, over here."
Orelia immediately guided Taiki to the sofa, Hovis prepared tea, and Yayui readied her writing implements at the desk. Prof stood by my side, ever-vigilant and ready to act at a moment's notice.
As for Ria, she was currently...
"Oh, welcome back!"
She was working diligently at her own desk.
"Um, leaving Yuki-san aside, what exactly is Ria-san's job? Did we have that much paperwork?"
"Well, she’s handling the documents for Canaria’s shop, and since Fiora is acting as assistant commander at the southern fort, she’s been helping out with diplomatic matters as well."
"Ah. So she was taken away to be a commander over there, huh? Is Ria-san going to be alright?"
He sounded genuinely concerned, clearly not thinking Ria was accustomed to that sort of diplomacy, but...
"...I’ll be fine. It’s not my first time. This was the work I did before Fiora and Prof arrived."
"Oh, right, I suppose that’s true. But why now? It’s not like General Fiora isn't doing her job, is it?"
"Ah, Ria saw how hard Canaria was working and decided she wanted to do the same. It’s not a bad thing, so I’m letting her handle it."
"I see. Well, it’s not like it’s a loss for us, either."
As we chatted, Hovis brought over the tea.
"Here you go."
"Ah, thank you very much."
True to his Japanese roots, Taiki-kun offered a polite word of thanks.
"Phew. There’s nothing like a warm cup of tea to help you relax."
"Indeed. So, how was the site?"
The reason Taiki-kun was in my office was to give a direct report on the southern survey. He had accompanied the team as an escort, after all.
"Well, I’m sure you’ve already heard from Deryu-san, but do you still want to hear it from me?"
"Yeah, I’ve read Deryu’s report, but I wanted the perspective of a fellow Japanese."
"Understood. Though, to be honest, there wasn't anything particularly striking on my end. If I had to pick one thing, the environment beneath the cliffs really caught me off guard."
"The part about all that greenery?"
"Exactly. It’s hard to believe, given that the surface above is nothing but a wasteland."
As the first team led by Deryu had reported, while the top of the cliff—the surface—was a barren wilderness, the cracks beneath the cliff were teeming with lush vegetation. The plateau was also covered in greenery, so there was no doubt it was a bizarre environment.
"Well, the area beneath the cliffs I can understand. You know, it’s common knowledge that beneath continents like that, there’s often a vast amount of groundwater, right?"
"Ah, I’ve heard that theory."
On Earth, the idea of vast subterranean water reserves beneath continents is surprisingly common. In the Japanese archipelago, for instance, if you dig deep enough, you’re bound to hit water eventually, right? Well, whether or not a person could actually fit down there is another matter.
"So, having a river beneath the cliffs—which is essentially underground—and seeing greenery grow there makes sense. But..."
I understood exactly what Taiki-kun was getting at.
"You mean it’s strange that the plateau above is green while the surrounding land is a dry wasteland?"
"Yes. I mean, usually, plateaus are only green if they’re like the jungles in South America, right?"
"The Guiana Highlands, you mean. Well, there are karst plateaus and various others, but you’re right. It is strange."
There had to be some sort of mechanism at play, but there was no denying it was an anomaly.
"I’m glad I had you go, Taiki-kun."
"Well, I only noticed because I was actually on the plateau."
"Still, this might lead to some new discoveries for Holy as well."
"Ah, that’s true. It wouldn’t be strange if Holy found something. Oh, by the way, did Agil not notice anything?"
"Agil wasn't comparing it to the plateau. She was just surveying the new environment."
"Ah, I see."
That was it. Agil had been surveying the area beneath the cliffs as a separate entity, so her report hadn't focused on the connection to the wasteland above. She had simply submitted a report on the cliff-bottom survey, and she hadn't mentioned the discrepancy with the surface herself. Or rather, she had noted that the environments were vastly different, but she hadn't dwelled on the implications. She was likely compartmentalizing the data for now.
"I suppose trying to piece it all together right now would just lead to confusion?"
"Probably. She likely figured it was pointless to talk until we gathered more data from beneath the cliffs."
"True. Speculating without the initial facts doesn't get us anywhere."
"It’s not a bad approach, though. I don’t think your opinion is wrong, Taiki-kun."
As we were talking, Prof suddenly voiced a question.
"Pardon the interruption, but you mentioned earlier that there is water underground. What exactly does that mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. There is water beneath the earth. A volume so vast it’s beyond our imagination."
"Something like that truly exists?"
"Well, I know it’s hard to visualize, but it’s actually quite familiar. Think about it: every town and village has a well, don't they? That means there’s a significant water source at a certain depth."
" " "Ah." " "
Convinced by my explanation, Prof, followed by Orelia, Hovis, and Yayui, all let out a sound of realization.
"Ah, so because there are wells, it means there is water at a reachable depth. I’ve never heard of a well running dry, so it really must be massive."
Following the four of them, Ria, who had been busy with her paperwork, looked up as if remembering something.
"That’s right. And the reason the water never runs out is either because the source is incredibly large, or—well, 'underground canal' isn't quite the right word—perhaps an ancient river, a subterranean river."
"An... underground canal?"
Yayui tilted her head, clearly not understanding the term.
"How should I explain this... 'Ankyo' is a Japanese term. It refers to rivers that were once on the surface but were moved underground or covered up to be hidden from view. They’re mostly used for things like sewage, for sanitary reasons."
"Ah, I see."
"That’s a way of putting it. But what about the 'ancient rivers'?"
Hovis asked for further clarification, so I answered that as well.
"It’s just as it sounds. In this case, it wasn't artificially filled in; it’s a river that existed long ago and was naturally buried, becoming an underground river."
"Naturally?"
"Well, not on a human timescale. It might take centuries, involving natural disasters and the like. Those subterranean rivers flow through the earth, nourishing the land and bringing forth greenery. Through springs and wells, that is."