"Untie me then, I''m starving," the shroom replied excitedly.


    "Will you join mymune?" Lucius asked as he pulled a stone knife from the sled.


    "I cannot join your n unless you be an elder. I told you this already," the shroom replied briefly, before going back to drooling over the worm.


    "Then I cannot release you," Lucius replied curtly, pulling the worm from the cart before dropping in front of the cell.


    "Then have youe to mock me?" the shroom asked, its tone bing less excited as It stared at Lucius with a wary gaze.


    "No, I''ll feed it you," Lucius answered, taking the pebble off the top of the cell beforepletely lifting it off the shroom.


    "I have a few questions for you," he continued, using the knife to cut off arge chunk of worm flesh.


    "Yes, yes. But feed me first," the shroom interrupted, its gaze fully focused on the piece of worm.


    "Ah," Lucius whispered, putting the chunk in the shroom''s mouth. The shroom bit down instantly, nearly biting Luciuc''s finger off, before munching down on its food vigorously.


    "Why don''t these creatures talk? I mean like you and I do. They don''t seem to have anynguage of their own," Lucius asked after the shroom had swallowed its meal.


    "More," the shroom grunted, opening his mouth for another bite. Lucius cut off another piece and fed it to the shroom.


    "Language? What do you mean by that?" the shroom asked in between mouthfuls.


    "The words that you and I speak. We can understand each other no?"


    After swallowing down a good amount of its meal, the shroom opened its mouth once again for another bite, and Lucius obliged.


    "Mmm, this tastes good," the shroom mumbled before swallowing. "Why would a beast talk?" it answered finally, before opening its mouth once again. It clearly wasn''t interested in whatever Lucius had to ask.


    "Answer me properly or your meal ends here," Lucius warned, before threatening to stand.


    "Okay, okay. Beasts are different from you and I. They do not speak and do things merely on instinct. Most of them don''t even form ns... ormunes as you call it, and merely group together for the purpose of hunting," the shroom answered.


    "But even then, they hardly work together," it murmured after.


    "If that''s the case, then why don''t your kind just hunt down beasts? Why hunt down creatures that are like you?" Lucius asked, tossing another piece of worm flesh into the shrooms mouth.


    "Like us? What are you on about? Why would it matter whether our meals are like us or not?" The shroom replied in between mouthfuls, "sometimes you make no sense," it said after, swallowing down its food.


    ~Well, I guess morals developed very differently for these guys. They are practically animals, after all,~ Lucius realized. And besides, he was basically trying to fit in human concepts that held no benefit to the shrooms.


    "What if I asked your kind to only hunt beasts? What do you think they would say?" Lucius asked, tossing another chunk into its mouth.


    "Hmm," the shroom mumbled in thought, gnawing down on the worm flesh. "Maybe if you asked them not to eat your little... ah, n members, they might understand. But that understanding would be that they were yours to eat alone," the shroom said after it had swallowed.


    "Without a proper reason, they will continue to eat others that are not in your n," it finished off.


    "I mean, there is no difference, right? If I could get a steady supply of food for everyone under me, wouldn''t that be reason enough for them to stop?" Lucius asked, confused about why it seemed the shrooms were so adamant in eating sentient creatures.


    "Beasts don''t help increase poison potency. Only creatures that are of higher intelligence do. And besides, there isn''t much difference between low-tier creatures like the ones you are protecting, and beasts. They both have flimsy n rtions, but at least beasts can have offspring without outside help," the shroom replied, before opening its mouth for another bite.


    ~I see, so sentient creatures are a necessity for them to be stronger?~


    "Wait, did you just say flimsy n rtions? Aren''t you the one that left your n to die?" Lucius shot back.


    "It is the way of the forest. I merely epted it, I don''t know why you can''t," the shroom replied, before gesturing for Lucius to toss the piece of worm flesh he was currently holding into its mouth.


    "Did you feel nothing when your n was wiped out? No remorse? Regret for not having done anything?" Lucius asked.


    "I feel remorse that I left without eating, I''ll tell you that. But our elder was a weak one, he couldn''t defeat the webbed ones and as a result, everyone died," it replied in a thoughtful tone. "Maybe I have regret for following that guy. He was old, and his poison was waning," it continued.


    "Besides, if I was you I''d be happy that half of your n was wiped out. The less of those creatures to take care of the better, right?" the shroom said, before opening its mouth expectantly.


    "I think we are done talking for the day," Lucius replied before standing to leave. He didn''t n on exining the importance of those close to him, especially to someone who seemed to have no remorse for their lost ones.


    "Wait, I have a question for you as well," the shroom whispered as Lucius ced its cage back on top of it.


    "Go on," Lucius replied, cing the pebble on top.


    "Were you once like those creatures you protect?" it whispered slowly, staring at him with an intrigued look. A dangerous sort of intrigue, like a snake watching a mouse.


    "I only just noticed, but there are some simrities no?" the shroom continued with a smile.


    Lucius kept quiet and tossed the knife back into the sled before pulling on its harness with his mouth.


    "And you are way bigger than thest time you visited," the shroom said as he began dragging the sled back to the camp.


    "So you know magic, have the ability to growrger, and can advance in tier level," the shroomughed as he left.


    "Interesting! Interesting indeed! Get the fruit, I can''t wait to follow you!" the shroom shouted, an excited smile on its face.


    "How interesting indeed," it whispered once he was out of sight.