House of X: New Life (VII)
Lakes were different from seas and rivers. They were neither as vast and magnificent as the ocean, nor did they babble along like rivers. When there was no wind, the surface of a lake could be as still as a mirror. The azure sky laid down a blue base, while the lake water made that color more mysterious and profound, like a sapphire set into the earth.
But when the sky darkened, the lake's color deepened too, as if a black hole had suddenly grown up from beneath the ground. Thin mist spread little by little across the surface. The faintly glimmering fishing line twitched, then suddenly pulled taut. Matt rose from his stool and yanked the rod back hard.
But whatever had taken the bait seemed to have a sharp set of teeth. The tug-of-war ended before it had even begun. After the line went taut, it snapped with a crack. The instant Matt staggered backward, Peter, who had just arrived, rushed over and caught him.
"Careful," Peter said. "Did it cut the line?"
"Talk about bad luck." Matt shook his head, set the fishing rod aside, then turned to look at the two of them. "How did the field survey go?"
"Not bad," Schiller said as he walked forward. It was still a little cold by the lake, so he tightened his trench coat, glanced at the severed fishing line, and said, "The soil quality is decent. Although it can't support large-scale grain cultivation, growing a few kinds of fresh vegetables won't be a problem. It's just that storms are common at sea, so we'll probably need to build greenhouses to help the plants grow. That'll require professionals. I can't handle it either."
"This place really is a treasure," Matt said with