Only after crossing the Bridge of Sacrifice did the player truly reach the foot of the Volcano.
Ahead stood an Artificial Lift-a huge wooden platform with thick ropes tied to its four corners. The ropes extended to the rock face above, passed over several pulleys, then hung down.
At the other end of the ropes was a large crowd of prisoners.
They stood packed together on the ground, gripping the ropes with both hands and leaning back, using their full body weight to hold the platform. Whenever someone needed to go up, they walked forward step by step. The ropes slid over the pulleys, and the platform slowly rose.
This was a human-powered lift hauled up by sheer force, with a crowd of prisoners pulling ropes...
The player stood on the platform, watching the prisoners struggle to walk below. The platform rose slowly, the ropes scraping against the pulleys with a piercing screech.
This was quite wasteful. Weren't human resources resources too?
How strange. Why use such a backward method?
With the Volcano's own lava at its disposal, the Factory had no shortage of energy. Dark red magma flowed through pipes, driving enormous gears and pistons.
They churned out everything in an endless stream-weapons, armor, tools, parts, and even "food."
Most of it was supplied to the distant frontier.
There were clearly enormous factories deep within the Volcano, clearly lava for energy, clearly countless machines-so why use human labor to haul up a lift?
The player couldn't figure it out, but didn't need to. None of this suffering would fall on the player anyway.
Still, the player found this place slightly more humane than the Altus Plateau.
At least the "residents" here were cold, but didn't fight over their companions.
The player hadn't found anyone resembling a factory owner either.