Leaving for the mission, Ashwin expected to see one of the high-ranking apes as the appointed leader. Finding himself among a group of middle- and lower-ranking males, Ashwin was confused. The journey went rather smoothly. Predators kept their distance from armed apes, and with no aggressive males, there were no fights among the group. And while they were walking across the grassland, the realization struck Ashwin - he was in charge of the expedition.

Scarface's instructions were rather short and vague. His victory over Iz not only strengthened his authority but also made Ashwin's task easier. The males who were sent with him on the mission to retrieve metal did not question his ideas or suggestions. Some of them were grim, but they still followed him anyway. This led Ashwin to regard this expedition not only as a way to gather resources for the troop, but also as a test of his teaching and training over the past year and a half.

While the path to their destination went smoothly, there were issues to be resolved upon arrival. Two problems they had to solve were: how to move a large amount of metal and exactly what awaited them at the place where the metal was located. While some suggested grabbing as much as possible and running for it, Ashwin proposed another tactic. He divided the group, placing several members at a certain distance from each other. The task of moving the resources became a relay, requiring a thorough explanation, but fortunately, the apes did not oppose the idea.

The latter problem was much severe. Ngu-gu claimed that when he found it, none of the Scaled Ones were around. However, completely relying on this testimony was too risky. Ashwin hoped they wouldn't encounter nymphs, but if the worst came to worst, a small number would be better for infiltration.

On the eleventh day of their journey to the south, they saw the place that Ngu-gu had told them about. When Odd One described it, he said, "It's big, like big-big tree!" Gazing at the tall structure with their own eyes, the apes were silent for several minutes.

"Like a tree," whispered Ashwin, repeating Ngu-gu's words. "More like a nymph's tower."

He only saw the Tower in pictures and heard stories about it. Even if this structure was lower than human-made outstanding building, it was still much taller than any house in the capital of Vardana. The base was made of stone, but then the structure thinned and branched out with several metal additions on the sides. It did look like a tree a dark, morbid tree with no leaves, and with branches that could attract only hanging men.

"I don't see any Scaled Ones," noticed Hegat. He was part of the final group. Ashwin decided that if they went into the lion's den, it would be good to have someone they could rely on, even a little.

"Yes. Let's go now without a break. The longer we stay here, the greater our chances of meeting the owners of this 'tree'. Ready?"

The apes moved further. Cautiously checking their surroundings and sniffing, they made their way through the high grass. Ashwin followed them, trying to keep his head low. The closer they got, the taller the construction seemed to be. Every time they heard a rustling sound; both the apes and human froze for a second. But each time, these alarms turned out to be false.

When they reached the base of the building, Ngu-gu hurried to the head of the column. His excitement contrasted with the gloomy wariness of the rest of the group. He was also the only one without any weapons or armor, apart from the silicic knife. Despite this, Odd One headed towards the stone wall. Following him, they found a metal door.

Ashwin shuddered - the door was partly open. The grass around it was high, but it was still a worrying sign. As if nothing bothered him, Ngu-gu rushed inside. Other apes were not so reckless, but no screams of pain or sounds of struggle followed. They followed Odd One's example.

Inside, they found a spiral corridor with no stairs. Its flat floor stretched to the top without any railings. The middle of the "tower" was empty. They climbed a few floors, when the corridor became narrower, and rooms started to appear on the outer side. Some were locked, but most were empty, resembling the den of a beast, rather than proper rooms.

"The Scaled Ones used magic to shape it," whispered Hegat, noticing how Ashwin was observing the walls and floor.

"But did they use magic for this too?" asked Ashwin and knocked quietly on the metal door to one of the rooms. "It looks like a human creation."

Exploring this place, Ashwin couldn't express why he felt complicated emotions. He wanted to write everything off on fear, coming from experiencing nymph's creation close up, but it wasn't enough. Slowly, the words to describe these feelings began to form.

"It's really strange. The road outside is covered in high grass. But it doesn't look like an abandoned place. There is no foul smell of mold, and not even a single plant has made it inside despite the earthen floor. There aren't even any bugs here," Ashwin thought aloud, while his companions remained silent. He looked at Hegat. "Is this also a work of magic?"

"Perhaps," reluctantly answered the ape, "I don't know much about Scaled Ones' magic. It's... a little frightening."

"Indeed," agreed Ashwin, looking inside one of the rooms. This one wasn't empty but had a round table in the center made of polished black stone. Intrigued, he stopped at the threshold.

The table was empty, and apart from it, the only other things were a few chairs with high backs. Unlike the stone table, they were made of woven reeds. While Ashwin was wondering whether he should take a closer look at this furniture, Hegat walked into the room. Carrying a knife and sniffing, he moved the door until it was fully open. The moment he did, a tall figure of a nymph, hidden in the shadows, fell on him.

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"Shakak!" screamed the ape's curse, Hegat leaping to the side. Others shuddered, raising their weapons. A moment's burst of fear was quelled when they looked at the cause more closely. The nymph that had fallen on Hegat had been dead for many years. Its corpse had become a mummy, and as soon as it touched the ground, the neck and one wrist broke, separating the head and hand from the rest of the body.

"You didn't tell about this!" Hegat growled angrily, pointing to the nymph's corpse.

"I didn't?" Ngu-gu tilted his head. Then he approached the mummy and grumbled, "Look, you broke it."

"Just show us where you found the metal," said Ashwin, before the argument turned into a fight.

Odd One, still grumbling and carrying a separated mummy’s hand for some reason, led the group up higher. Two more floors above the furnished room, they reached their destination: several rooms filled with some kind of equipment. Ashwin examined the metal boxes on the tables and the crates full of parts, but their purpose remained a mystery to him. There was no sound, no electricity, or even cables in the room. In the end, he decided that it was storage for spare parts. Unlike the human, who handled every item with care, the apes shook and knocked them without many regards.

Ashwin wanted to look more closely at other rooms too, but time was of the essence. After a brief inspection of the storage area, he addressed the group.

"Alright, now that we are here, let’s take as much as we can and send the first group to the relay point. Ngu-gu, you will lead the way, to make it quicker. Return here when you have passed the metal to the next group. Meanwhile, Hegat and I will prepare the cargo for the second run."

To his relief, no one opposed the instructions. It was stressful enough being on the nymphs' grounds, any quarrel could cost them their lives.

"I hope things won't go awry," mumbled Ashwin as he sent off the first group. They quickly finished gathering metal for a few more rounds. At first, they tried to move carefully, wary of every sound they made. But as time passed and no one appeared, they allowed themselves to relax.

Deciding to take a break, Hegat took some dried meat and some roots from his pouch. Strangely, despite all the work, Ashwin wasn't hungry. This place made him feel nervous yet intrigued at the same time. Leaving Hegat by the pile of metal, he went to look around.

'It looks like Navagunjara' thought Ashwin as he explored the spiral corridor and the side rooms. Nymph magic, human technology, nature-like design and architecture – like a hive - this bizarre mixture was as confusing as the absence of its owners. 'Was it created during a short period of peace before the Retaliation War? Why did they build something like this?' Pondering, Ashwin wandered further and further.

He was almost at the top, with only a few rooms left. Out of habit, he tried to push the closed door when it suddenly opened.

This was a room that was different from others in many ways. It was not a separate place, but extended around the tower, forming a circle. At the wall opposite the door, there was a table, which also extended around the entire space like a single piece of furniture. Ashwin entered and inspected the equipment on the table. Unlike those he saw in the storage room, these were functional. The barely audible buzzing filled the room. There were no labels or markings indicating what the equipment did, it just looked like metal boxes with wires. He tried to find clues, but there was nothing to help him solve the mystery.

The cables all went into the ceiling. Ashwin thought it might give him some answers and climbed one store up. It was the final room with no way to go higher. All the cables led to a large machine-like box. 'This must be the generator, that produces the energy for the equipment,' even though he had never seen one before, Ashwin had read and heard about them.

He sat down, staring at the "generator". Countless questions swarmed his head. What purpose did this facility serve? What source of energy did this thing use? If it was built before the Retaliation War, then why did it still work? And what exactly did it do?

No one could answer his questions, making this situation even more frustrating. 'If nymphs built this place, then there is a high possibility that it serves against humans. Then, is there a way to stop it from working? What will happen if I try to break it? Breaking complex technology is not only wasteful but also dangerous... Why did nymphs use complex technology in the first place?'

Ashwin frowned. The only reason he could think of for such a deed was to oppose human technology. 'Think, what aspect of human life this place could be meddling with? We still use guns, and electric fences. We can't produce much high-quality metal, but that's because of the lack of fuel.'

Groaning, he clenched his head in his hands, messing up his black hair. Nothing came to mind. The constant buzzing sound, like that of an annoying insect, irritated and distracted him. 'It bothers me so much; I can't think straight. Maybe I should go back to Hegat. It's quiet there and I can talk to him about this.'

Ashwin stood up but stopped after a few steps. A thought, a vague idea that had always slipped away from his grasp - he finally caught it. It had been so long ago that the stories about it were short and rarely mentioned. Because there was no need to talk about a lost cause.

"Talk... Bothering... Interference," Ashwin slowly uttered, staring at the "generator". It was one of the facilities built by nymphs to silence human radio communication.