Lin Mu's desire for more information was met with a warm response from Elder Niji.
"Of course, I'll be happy to. I seldom get to talk to others this much. The children in the tribe are also too distant from me and have their own duties to fulfill. Besides, I don't want to expand their ideas too much or they would just be disappointed at their reality." Elder Niji said, a trace of melancholy in his voice.
Lin Mu could see the benefit in this too.
'If they knew there was bounty in the world but they were never fated to see it, they would certainly be depressed.' Lin Mu reckoned.
He would have not found it good, and would have even thought it oppressive to keep information like this. But knowing that the Haima Tribe had been trapped here for over a hundred thousand years, perhaps it was better this way.
Even with the conflicts in his heart, Lin Mu knew better not to judge them, as he did not know what they had gone through.
"So, why is it that one cannot get past the Rust Hail Mountains? What kind of danger prevents them from crossing?" Lin Mu questioned.
~THUD~ THUD~ THUD~
"@^(&#$(&"
Just as Elder Niji was about to answer him though, a few taps were heard from the outside and a few words were also spoken in the language of the Haima tribe.
"Ah~ we can continue this with our meal. I reckon you must be hungry?" Elder Niji asked.
"Famished." Lin Mu replied.
He really was hungry and was looking for a settlement mainly, so that he could find something to eat. Though he had gotten distracted from all the information after coming to the Haima tribe.
"Good, let's head to the dining circle, then." Elder Niji said and brought Lin Mu out.
'There are no beasts here, and I didn't really see any plants other than the glowing moss before.' Lin Mu was certainly interested in seeing what the Haima tribe actually ate.
Though he knew that the tribe had access to fuel as he had already seen burning lamps and torches here.
In a couple of minutes, they reached an area that was circular in shape. There was a large fire pit in the center and a circular stone table surrounded it. There were stool like stone seats set around this table, made without any backs so that the four legged Haima tribe people could sit on it.
This was a common thing Lin Mu had seen since coming here. There were no seats with back support here. Or any normal chairs, either. It was just common stool like seats. The bodies of the Haima tribe didn't permit the normal human furniture.
Near the 'dining circle', Lin Mu saw a few other members of the Haima tribe there. He recognized two of them being the ones who had brought him. They were carrying stone baskets filled with something and placing them near the fire pit.
"Please take a seat." Elder Niji said and Lin Mu followed it.
The two familiar Haima tribe members then opened up the baskets and revealed their contents.
"Stones?" Lin Mu was puzzled.
In the basket were objects that looked like stones around the size of a normal palm. They were of different colors and ranged from deep brown to a light blue.
'They seem like pebbles one would find in a river…' Lin Mu thought. 'Hang on… does the Haima tribe eat stones?' he had almost forgotten that different races might have different dietary habits.
While Lin Mu watched on with a puzzled look, the two Haima members picked out the brown colored and darker stones out from the basket and placed them on the table.
"You can start with these, as they are ripe. The children will cook the rest for us." Elder Niji stated.
"What is this?" Lin Mu finally asked and picked up a brown colored stone.
It felt hard to the touch and had a smooth texture.
"These are Stone Flesh Mushrooms. They are the only food source that grows stably in the Land of Exile." Elder Niji said. "Try and break them," he prompted.
Lin Mu held the Stone Flesh Mushrooms and exerted some force.
~CRACK~
A firm crack was heard, almost like someone had broken an egg. The Stone Flesh Mushroom in Lin Mu's hand split in two and the interior of it was revealed. Unlike the hard and stony exterior, the interior was a mix of red and pink, almost looking like flesh.
Lin Mu could also smell a faint fragrance from the Stone Flesh Mushroom that felt, unlike anything he had ever smelled.
"You can eat the soft flesh inside it and leave the hard exterior." Elder Niji demonstrated.
Unlike Lin Mu though, he didn't split the entire Stone Flesh Mushroom in half. Instead, he skillfully tapped the mushroom in a specific spot and simply peeled the entire thing off in one go, leaving the flesh inside intact in one piece.
Lin Mu scooped out the two halves of the flesh and put one of them in his mouth.
"Mm?" Tasting the new type of food, Lin Mu certainly found it different.
The taste wasn't bitter or sour, but there was some sweetness and a hint of savoriness to it.
"Not bad…" Lin Mu said after swallowing it.
~Crackle~
While he tried his first piece, the two Haima members were cooking other light colored Stone Flesh Mushrooms in open flames. They slowly started to turn darker and crackled in the heat.
Once they were done, they placed those mushrooms in front of Lin Mu as well.
"The hot ones taste a bit different. Maybe you'll like them better." Elder Niji said, prompting Lin Mu to try them as well.
Lin Mu cracked them open, not minding the scorching heat coming from them, and smelled a more savory fragrance from them. Putting them into his mouth, Lin Mu found a peppery taste.
"They do taste better when hot." Lin Mu said, finding them more to his taste.
