The Nautilus wasn't a particularly large vessel...
Alvin and his group took just five minutes to make their way to the stern...
The place was essentially a warehouse...
Several burly men wearing headscarves shaped like boats were busy feeding clumps of sea lettuce, kelp, and seaweed into a machine...
At the far end of the warehouse was a sealed compartment measuring seven meters on each side...
Through a heavy hatch, Alvin looked at several bundles of coarse-meshed fishing nets neatly arranged inside...
"What's this? Fishing nets?"
Alvin looked at Nemo II and grinned. "You're going to cast nets down here? Aren't you worried they'll get tangled in the propeller?"
Nemo II shook his head with a smile. "No. The Nautilus's propeller is one of the most carefully protected parts of the ship...
"You'll soon see how deep-sea fishing works...
"But before that, I'd like to show you how we make use of this seaweed.
"Then I'll give you a few souvenirs..."
Speaking like a competent tour guide, Nemo II led Alvin and the others back a dozen or so meters, then opened the cover on an observation window in the wall...
Seeing the children eagerly crowd around it, Nemo II stepped aside to make room. Then he smiled at the adults and said, "I bought these two machines a few years ago.
"They help us dry the seaweed and separate out its fibers...
"We use those fibers to make our clothes."
As he spoke, Nemo II opened a box by the wall and took out several dark-green T-shirts, handing them to Alvin, the others, and the children...
Nemo II had clearly put a lot of thought into it. He'd roughly remembered the children's sizes, so they could put on the seaweed garments right away.
Alvin rubbed the dark-green T-shirt between