"The tracked target has stopped descending."
"A large unidentified object has been detected ahead."
The synthesized voice sounded at just the right moment, drawing everyone's attention.
The Waterjet Propulsion System began running in reverse, and the Exploration Ship rapidly slowed.
Hope frowned as he looked through the viewport straight ahead.
Beyond the viewport, illuminated by the main searchlight, a thick "wall" appeared before him.
The "wall" was pyramid-shaped, standing silently in the dark depths of the Liquid Ammonia Ocean.
Under the searchlight, it gleamed with a dark brown metallic sheen, almost identical to the armor covering the Giant Fish.
"Is this..." Hope murmured, "a star gold vein?"
Star gold was the name the Academy of Sciences had given this recently discovered alloy.
The reasoning behind the name was simple.
An alloy born inside an Ice Giant was star gold.
Looking at the scrapes and impact marks at the top of the "wall," Hope could almost picture what had happened here-Giant Fish throwing their full strength into repeated collisions with this enormous "wall," then "weaving" the fallen fragments into armor and "wearing" it.
But...
Did newborn Giant Fish also have the strength to shake this enormous star gold vein?
If that was true, just how physically powerful were these Giant Fish?!
Hope suppressed his doubts and turned toward the Holographic Projection beside him.
It displayed high-definition footage from the camera.
The camera slowly tilted downward, and the searchlight followed.
The dark brown "wall" grew wider and thicker until it became an enormous shadow, vanishing into the endless Liquid Ammonia Ocean.
"This is practically..." Hansent's astonished voice came from beside him. "An entire mountain range!"
Looking at the enormous pyramid-shaped vein gradually mapped out by the sonar, Hope nodded excitedly.
"We're rich!"
"This vein is enough to meet humanity's current needs!"
After