Amaryllis in the Ice Country by Takeshi Matsuyama

Author:Takeshi Matsuyama [Matsuyama, Takeshi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-07-18T00:00:00+00:00

Part O

–Ugh…

Waiting for me there is a thick wall of ice.

The Path Canal gets narrower, and the diameter is already less than five meters, and the ice blocks the path like a stopper. It looks like it was formed by underground water that had seeped through and froze.

“This is troublesome huh…”

Anyway, I first take out a tool similar to a torchlight, and approach the ice block like a dentist shining light into a patient’s mouth. Once the light hits the light, the ice vaporizes with a whoosh. This is a tool called the ‘Black Pointer’, the official name called ‘Portable Directional Heat Wave Aiming Device’. This works on the same principle as the ‘Little Sun’, and is a ‘heating flashlight’.

—This is endless…

I stop what I’m doing, looking lost. It’s regrettable to give up here, but it is a waste of time to melt the ice with the equipment I have,

“This is troublesome huh…”

I open the map in my Mind Circuit. The Path Canal extends straight up from the “REM Forest’. It’s a clear path, but because of this, it becomes a dead end when blocked.

—And I can’t just dig my way through here…

I activate the holographic map inside my Mind Circuit. Like a windmill, the map rolls about in the Mind Circuit.

—Eh?

After that, I realize something.

On this map that I just so happen to check on, there’s are thins line that shows up after I enlarged it. The branch-like lines extend from the Path Canal, in a radial manner. They look like an ant hive with a complex structure.

“Work, tunnels?”

I look at a brief explanation on the map, and it has a tagline ‘for moving sand and dirt’ behind.

—Just maybe…!

A hundred years ago, the Snow White was buried deep underground. In order to build such a large facility, there needs to be a large amount of dirt and rocks dug up. In that case, are these the work tunnels used to transport the dirt?

—Proof is more important than theory.

I follow the directions indicated on the map, and descend the ladder by a little. After about five meters or so, I gather my focus on the surrounding walls. If my guess is correct, it should be nearby—

“Got it!”

I find a spot with a slightly different color on the frozen wall. This is a little gradient that isn’t easily noticed if I don’t observe up close, and it is a two-meter diameter on the wall. Just as how there are ‘traces’ left behind when something is buried underground, there are such marks here.

—No doubt about it. There is such a tunnel here. A work tunnel used for moving the excavated dirt and rubble.

I pull out the ‘Black Pointer’ torchlight from my pocket, holding onto the ladder as I cautiously melt the border with the contrasting color. After I etch out a circle.

“Heeeeyyy!!”

I kick at the wall. The wall falls to the other side with a thud, forming a pretty round hole.

—As I expected…!

Opened right before me is a tunnel that appears to swallow all darkness.

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