Day Ten.
Lin Yu'an woke up at dawn as usual. The deep sleep from last night had allowed him to recover most of his strength, but the dull ache from carrying stones still lingered deep in his muscles.
He didn't rush into work immediately but carried out his routine "inspection" first.
There was more and more pack ice by the coast compared to yesterday, crowding the entrance of the fjord like a slowly closing white gate.
The time left for him to gather seafood was running out.
He conducted a scavenging session once again, adding a bounty of mussels and sea snails to his "seafood holding pool."
Then he swiftly checked the traps and fishing devices—still no catches.
He was unconcerned about this; he now had enough food reserves to devote all his energy to the construction of the shelter.
Returning to the construction site, his gaze fell on the neatly stacked pile of timber beside the shelter.
