Arthur stood at the very top of the cliff, pulling on a rope to haul a basket full of plump sea fish up to the cliff top through a pulley system. Once the basket arrived, Hal took it and began processing the raw fish.
He scraped off the scales, removed all the innards, washed them clean, split the fish open from the belly, flattened them, and repeatedly rubbed them with the salt they had obtained earlier before hanging them on the drying rack they had just built.
The four rows of racks were already crammed full. Salted fish, cured meat, fiber ropes dried halfway through, and several pieces of woven fiber cloth all swayed gently in the dusty island wind.
Schiller stood on the platform and looked up, meeting Hal's gaze as he looked down while adjusting the pulley assembly. Seeing that Schiller was awake, he waved and said, "Hi, Professor. Good morning."
Schiller had just opened his mouth when he heard a grating squeak. Turning around, he saw Bruce sitting in a wooden basket like a cable car, rising from below to the platform.
Schiller looked Bruce over and asked, "What exactly have you been doing? How did this place enter an agricultural society overnight?"
"No, we haven't started growing anything yet. But I just found some crop seeds over there. Based on my observations, the fruits of the shrubs these seeds grow into are edible, and some of them can yield a milky sap similar to glue. If we plant them now, they may come in handy later."
Schiller glanced sideways at the cable car Bruce had ridden up. Bruce had come from below while the cave platform stood high above, so it clearly was not gravity-powered. He asked, "Where did you get the power?"
Bruce said nonchalantly,