Event period: 11 and 12 July 2016
I’ve had news of the soil samples I sent from the inside and outside of the sphere, and honestly, I’m shocked —the microscopic remains of plants and animals from the outside of the sphere are inconclusive because the sample was contaminated by present-day seawater; but the inside sample is even more bizarre: it points to an age of about 360 million years. That would mean that the interior dates back to the early Carboniferous... But that makes little sense, even today’s continents weren’t formed then!
As you can understand, I had to ask Rut several times to make sure I had heard her correctly, because I also believed that sediments from such ancient times were usually very hard rocks that rarely came to the surface, like the coal or petroleum that we have because of that era. The fact is that they don’t, that in some very specific circumstances it can happen that they don’t compress or solidify, and they get mixed in with more recent sediments because of the geological dynamics.
Of course, I couldn’t tell him that the sample was contained in a man-made sphere, so I was forced to hold my tongue. Another possibility I have in mind is the possibility that, following the diving bell theory, the sphere is open at the bottom and that such ancient sediments could have slipped into such a recent structure, and I say recent because the polishing and cutting techniques needed to obtain such regular and well-made metal sheets have to be proto-industrial or industrial, as a minimum, especially when one realises that the metal, whatever it is, has very good resistance and hardness.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Anyway, once again I am lost and without a clue, and to top it all, I almost lost the shroud sample I had extracted from the sphere by carelessness. The other day, when I came home from work, I found the fabric out of the lunch box, drying in the sun. In the absence of a better place, I leave it in the shade, in a corner of my room, covered with a towel to keep dust and other particles out and to allow it to breathe, but, of course, the cleaning ladies probably didn’t notice it and gave it an unintentional blow. Thank goodness, because they would have thrown the fabric in the rubbish bin without knowing what they were throwing away. So, I had to put on some gloves to avoid damaging the fabric and put it back in its place. As soon as I can, I’ll talk to the owner to warn her to be careful on future occasions.
Anyway, I need to rest and since the excavation campaign is officially over, I’m going to spend a few days at the beach while I’m here. Take care of yourself.
