They shook hands and went into the mansion. Inside, it was pitch-black, with only a few candles struggling with a thick veil of darkness as black as space itself. Everything inside was made of steel and iron. It smelled damp and musty. It was colder inside than outside. Robots-vacuum cleaners made of aluminum rolled on the floor and constantly crashed into obstacles.

"The future belongs to technology! Morson said. "But I'll be damned! Why wasn't I born a few decades later, when all these tin cans would have worked fine enough."

"Have you tried to think of something yourself? Or improve the existing materials somehow?"

"Of course! I have invented and improved almost everything that you see here. After all, I am a member of the secret board of various inventors. We are engaged in the development of both government needs and for everyday lifestyle. Only everything we do is damn expensive. People don't understand why they need this round shit that crawls on the floor, crashes into everything that is possible and from time to time collects dust."

"I wouldn't buy that for myself. I have enough of a wife or a daughter for an emergency."

"That's it. That's what 95% of this damn city thinks."

They went into the kitchen, where there was a steam microwave covered with soot, a gas stove covered with leftover food, dried splashes, oil and other cooking waste. Everything was old, uncleaned. Alason even shuddered at the amount of dirt and dust per square meter. It's strange that there are no cockroaches or rats running around here yet, although they may run, you just can't see them anyway, and as they say, what you don't see is not there. Morson immediately noticed the displeased face of his friend and said:

"You're all twitching. If a simple person takes and removes all the garbage, washes the dirt and so on, then I'm not one of those. I want to come up with a new mechanism that would remove all this. And the more time I spend working on it, the more motivated I am. As you can see, my motivation is reaching its peak now."

"I won't argue. The motivation is huge. How long have you not cleaned and washed the dishes?"

"Maybe about three months."

"Three months…"

"Do you want tea or coffee? I try to make coffee once a month. This one seems to be still fresh."

Alason looked at the black corner and imagined that spiders or some parasites could have founded their own civilization there, and refused.

"I'll have a drink with your permission... Oh! What a smell! Do you feel it?"

"Yes. I just can't identify what that smell is."

"Almonds, my friend."

"Coffee with almonds?"

"That's it. If there is one thing that people have learned in my lifetime, it is to make delicious food and coffee. Who needs our developments if they are not perfect? It's easier to go to a cafe, get a burger, a salad and coffee. Everything that a person needs for life. Well... whatever... Are you on business here or just missing your old friend?"

"Both."

"Then tell me."

"I want to know about the underground tunnels under Agernox."

Morson suddenly put down his cup abruptly on the table, took off his mask and scratched his nose.

"Fashion requires sacrifices. My whole face is covered in sweat. And what tunnels?"

"Which are under Agernox."

"What about them?"

"One of the tunnels was blown up last night. I want to find out why."

"How did you know?"

"The road collapsed along the tunnel."

"You know that it's not so easy to blow up tunnels. I've been doing this craft since the war. We were taking the fort then. Damn, you should have seen what was going on there. Pools of blood, explosions. The enemy was strong and skilled. Then I dug a tunnel with my guys right under the walls, inserted a hundred excellent fire VV crystals into the ground, which are used in modern machines and specially configured them for maximum overheating. The ground shook and the walls collapsed along with the enemy! "Since then, my friend," Morson leaned his right elbow on the table and half turned to look at Alason, "I have been working on tunnels all over the city. And I don't remember ordering them to be blown up."

"This is bad. Because in this case, it means only one thing: someone did it for you."

"My guys won't blow up their own. Besides, if someone had destroyed our tunnel, you wouldn't have met me here right now."

Then Morson pointed to his monocle and said:

"Do you know what this is?"

"Monocle."

"A night-vision device. I've spent half my life either in tunnels or in workshops. I was working in the damn dark all the time, so it lured me, the bitch's daughter! Now I can't stand the light at all."

Morson went into another room, then returned with a map.

"Show me where the tunnel collapsed."

"And how am I supposed to see this map? I don't have your night vision monocle. Unlike you, I prefer to work in the light of the day."

"But I don't have a second one."

"Well, light at least one candle on the table and that's it! What an illogical person!"

Morson grunted, but fulfilled the request. Alason examined the map and pointed to the scene of the accident.

"Right here."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"We don't have a tunnel here."

"And the gnomes said that there is."

"May I dissolve in the burning steam!"

"Listen, I understand that the Inquisition has its own affairs and secrets, but you couldn't guess where and from where this tunnel was laid."

"Gnomes are idiots, but as for the tunnels… this is their Magnum opus. I had a gnome under my command, an inquisitor, after all. Daredevil! Smoke from the ass, sparks from the eyes. But he died under the rubble. Feel sorry for the poor guy. When I worked with him, it felt like that bastard was the king of the underworld, you know what I mean. After that, if the gnome says something about tunnels, then he is not mistaken. It's in their blood, in their mother's milk."

"It was Gnome or Svartalf? Big difference."

"Alason, how should I know? They all look the same."

"All right. Not the point."

Morson took out another map, which showed all the underground tunnels of Agernox. He examined the map for a long time and carefully, and his night vision monocle expanded and retracted. Morson grunted and puffed and cursed, then looked at Alason and said:

"If the tunnel exists, and I am, as you realized, inclined to believe you, then no one fucking knows who made it. Definitely not one of our own. It most likely leads to the forbidden city…"

"That's what the gnomes told me, and I immediately came to you."

"And most likely it connects to ours, which in turn leads to many places. One of which is... ahem... some secret facility in the forbidden city, and the rest...ahem... ahem... to some other places beyond Agernox. Look, I can't tell you more than I've already told you, and I've told you more than I should have, do you understand me?"

"I need a permit, right?"

"Bureaucracy, my friend, unlike technology, it doesn't improve, and it's still at the same medieval level."

"Yeah. It's sad."

"Well, you know where to find a permit. Don't waste any time. Tomorrow I will wait for you at that secret place in the forbidden city."

"So I won't sleep tonight."

"I suppose you won’t."

Alason heard someone moving on the floor. He jumped up from his chair and began to look around.

"Someone is listening to us; do you hear it?"

They fell silent and in the dark silence the ticking of the clock and small, but very fast steps in their direction echoed. Alason saw a mechanical bunny on the floor, all in bronze screws, gears, soft plush legs and copper leaky ears.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Oh, yes. This is my alarm clock. It reminds me when and where to go. I haven't taught him how to talk yet. It is necessary to record phrases on a Dictaphone, as soon as possible. A convenient thing... if you get used to it."

The bunny jumped in one place and crackled and howled like a siren. Morson went up to it and turned it off, saying, "I'm coming, I'm coming."

"All the wonders you can see in a lifetime."

"You're right, but the important thing is that you will still have time to see more!"

"I'm too old for this."

"For inventions, there is no concept of old or young, there is a concept of lazy or timid."

"Maybe so."

"I'm telling you for sure. But you were an old man even in your twenties, so it's not surprising that my bunny caused you fear, not admiration."

"I'll go now."

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow at seven. I'll prepare myself at the same time. We haven't worked together for a long time."

"You're right about that."

"Bunny will show you out."

"No, thanks. I'll find a way out myself."

Alason walked around the bunny, bypassing the devilish creature about five meters away and went out the door. Morson laughed.