Ferns were among the earliest terrestrial plants on Earth, once spanning every corner of the planet during ancient times.
The water-patterned fern he now saw also belonged to the fern family, but it uniquely evolved in the environment of Under Ice Lake.
Due to the dim light in the Under Ice Lake space, possibly because it could not absorb sunlight, the water-patterned fern looked quite different from the existing ferns on Earth.
It exhibited an unusual pale blue color overall, its stem creeping like rhizomes across the ice walls, with each leading stem bearing densely packed, fragmentary leaves, resembling feathers plastered on the ice surface. Only the tender buds in the center appeared coiled, sporting a spiral pattern akin to a snail's shell.
Picking a water-patterned fern felt cool to the touch, with shallow roots, and also...
Shit!
