"It was worth preparing for two months."

  Ari said as she entered the house made of snow.

  "Still, this is too reckless."

  She continued, rubbing her hands.

  "We are currently in the 4th Ice Age according to ancient records. Even if ancient times were warmer than now, this region was the worst back then too."

  Eren did not answer.

  "If you enter a place like this carelessly, you'll freeze or starve to death. There are many such cases in the records. Ancient people were no exception."

  Eren exhaled briefly.

  "I know. But that old man blabbered about it in a public place. Someone heard it, and the rumor must have spread."

  He turned his head.

  "This kind of exploration is a race against time."

  He said so, but standing in this cold, Eren knew very well how reckless he had been. If Ari hadn't caught him in front of the pub back then, he would have become an ice statue somewhere around here.

  Ari took a book out of her pack. The method of making paper was also an ancient legacy. A material that was light, durable, and capable of mass production, quickly replacing leather records. Furthermore, technology to carve letters on metal plates and print books in mass, replacing transcription, had recently been restored. Thanks to that, Ari could buy books and conduct research despite the team's lack of funds.

  Eren's gaze stayed on the book.

  "With that volume, you could have packed a few more stakes."

  Eren grumbled.

  "You need money to research knowledge too. Next time, bring something more practical."

  Ari opened the book.

  "This is a dictionary of the ancient language of this region."

  She spoke calmly, glancing at Eren's bag.

  "I have to be able to read it to decide what to take... Like all ancient languages, not everything is translated, but there are roughly enough necessary words. I just hope the era matches."

  Eren silently took a lump of scented oil wrapped in leather from his bag and lit it. The scented oil burned, illuminating the shelter. The inside of the snow house became a bit cozier.

  "What era interval did you bring?"

  Eren asked, placing a cup filled with snow over the oil fire.

  "I brought one based on the period when it flourished, about 30,000 to 50,000 years ago. Any closer, and it would have become too cold for even ancient people to want to live here. Other eras have few traces of civilization, so there wouldn't even be a glossary, so if a different era comes up, it's impossible with our strength."

  Eren handed the slightly melted water to Ari and said.

  "Your research will continue only if this exploration succeeds."

  "I thought you were crazy about money, but I guess not?"

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Ari smirked and answered.

  "I can continue excavating only if your research exists."

  Eren said, warming his hands on the warm cup. A moment of silence passed. Eren lowered his head and stared quietly at the burning light.

  "Eren."

  Ari opened her mouth.

  "What I'm worried about is the records."

  Eren did not raise his head.

  "I searched all the public archives. But this region is strangely empty."

  Ari chose her words carefully and continued slowly.

  "If it's a ruin of the scale you think, there should be something. Of course, ancient records aren't always intact or complete. But even assuming the old man is right, there should be some trace or at least a mention of that massive ruin. Anyway, there should be something. But I don't see anything like that at all."

  Eren put down the cup.

  "It's a bigger deal because there isn't. I'm more convinced thanks to your investigation."

  "Eren, no."

  Ari shook her head.

  "The fact that there isn't is too perfect."

  Eren's answer was firm. After hesitating for a moment, Ari continued.

  "Eren... you remember the Cher ghost story among the frozen soil exploration rumors, right?"

  Eren's hand stopped.

  "The story about explorers who slept hugging glowing stones. I've heard it too."

  Ari did not avoid his gaze.

  "Metallic taste, vomiting, hair loss. It's not in the official records, but testimonies remain."

  "It's a ghost story."

  Eren cut her off.

  "It's too specific for a ghost story."

  Eren exhaled a long breath.

  "I didn't know a researcher would believe in ghost stories... Sometimes people don't record important things."

  He continued in a low voice.

  "The more something needs to be hidden, the more likely the records disappear. You know the story of the king who killed all the workers to protect the location of his tomb? That's also in ancient records."

  Ari shook her head as if it were absurd.

  "That's a story from the early civilization era that really only appears in myths. The 'real' ancient people we are looking for are different. Looking at historical materials, they weren't barbaric like us. They loathed such behavior."

  Eren chewed on a ration and retorted nonchalantly.

  "I was just giving an example. The point is that people think similarly."

  "What is similar?"

  "That they hide important or valuable things first. That's common sense that transcends eras. You don't post a notice on your front gate about where your jewelry box is, do you?"

  It was a rough analogy, but not wrong. That didn't make the anxiety go away, but Eren's intuition had been the driving force that kept the exploration team safe in many places so far, so she decided to trust him.

  Somewhere in the snowy mountains beyond the blizzard, a door that no one wanted opened was quietly waiting.

  The next day, the snow stopped. Just because it wasn't snowing didn't mean it got warmer, but at least they could gauge the direction. Instead, the sunlight reflected so intensely that it was blindingly white, blocking their vision.

  From the distant direction where the stakes were driven, the rear party pulling sleds was visible. They were struggling to pull sleds loaded with supplies. If it weren't for the snow, it would have been an unmanageable volume. They filled the snow house with supplies and then told Eren and Ari.

  "This snow house is the last intermediate supply point. Any further, and we consume more coming here than we bring."

  Eren nodded at those words.

  "Judging by the terrain, it's that horizon ridge now. At best, it's a half-day distance. There won't be a need to make a new supply plan."

  Eren swallowed the words 'and no funds either'.

  "I hope it's not a mirage. Mirages in snow are harder to distinguish than in the desert."

  Eren nodded silently and packed the stakes and rope again. Ari also ate a hearty meal of the supplied rations and packed her gear. Fortunately, according to the old man's testimony, the entrance was exposed. Since it was a cave entrance that had lasted ten thousand years, it wouldn't have collapsed in ten years. Even if it was blocked, it would just be snow and ice, so if it wasn't rock, human hands and a few explosives would be enough.

  Yesterday they moved while struggling against the noise of the insane blizzard, but today they moved in extreme silence. Only the crunching sound of stepping on snow and rough breathing existed. It seemed as if only the two of them existed in the world creating sound. After driving the 10th stake, Eren caught his breath and said to Ari.

  "I know why we couldn't find the same place all this time. Even in this clear weather, it looks like a shadow between the sky and the horizon, so you can't tell if that's a mountain or not."

  Ari shielded her eyes from the reflected light as much as possible and looked around. The shape that had been faintly visible from the last supply point became a bit clearer, but it was still blurry, blending into the sky background. Using a telescope to check the shape in a place like this was a sure way to go blind. She just left it to Eren's intuition.

  The two walked silently for a long time again. The faint shape gradually turned into a clear certainty. Repeatedly walking and staving off hunger with rations, they arrived at the snowy mountain that had been faintly visible on the horizon around the time the sun rose to the middle of the sky.