Chapter 31: CH. 31 | Searching for Herbs

They went into the house, and Tuvei immediately brought out drinks for them.

Theo could see clearly what kind of passion Tuvei had for his work. There were plenty of glass bottles filled with herbal brews lining the wall shelves.

"What’s the specific herb you’re looking for on that hill?" Theo asked.

"Maysha Lotus flowers. They’re one of the flowers that grow a lot on Nador Hill," Tuvei answered, "I need them for a particular medicine I’m brewing."

Theo nodded along. He’d never heard of that flower before, since he didn’t really know much about herbal remedies.

Still, seeing Tuvei’s dedication in those rows of brewed herbal bottles on the shelves, and realizing the man needed the help of adventurers just to get to it, it was clear the Maysha Lotus wasn’t just some ordinary herb.

"I hear Nador Hill gets pretty dangerous at night, which is why I need your help."

"If that’s the case, why not just look for it during the day?" Thalia asked.

Tuvei turned to look at Thalia, "I used to do it that way before. But once I picked it, the potency would drop."

"After doing some digging, I found out the Maysha Lotus has to be picked at night and brewed that same night, so the potency inside doesn’t get oxidized," Tuvei explained.

Theo didn’t fully understand the details, but from the way Tuvei explained it, he could tell the man wasn’t lying at all.

He took a sip of tea from his cup and looked steadily at the middle aged man.

Theo told Tuvei that he and his party would do everything they could to help him get those flowers. As for monsters and other dangers, Theo told him not to worry about any of that.

"Thank you, Sir Theo."

"I really do feel relieved having all of you here to help me," Tuvei said, "I’ve got a few empty rooms. I don’t mind if you use them to rest after such a long trip out here."

Theo glanced over at Thalia. She smiled and led Lily and Aya off to one of the rooms so they could rest comfortably before heading up to the hill that night.

The young man thanked Tuvei for his generosity in offering them rooms to rest in. Tuvei brushed it off, saying it was no trouble at all. To him, having Theo and his party show up was already a huge relief.

Tuvei excused himself and went back to the kitchen to finish the medicine he’d been working on earlier. Theo, for his part, decided to step outside to get some fresh air from the village.

Once outside, Theo turned and spotted two other hills near the village. The two hills were different heights, and he had no idea yet which one he’d be climbing that night.

Theo tapped his inventory bag and pulled up the map from Yasa. On the map, he could see Tulu Village along with the two hills he’d noticed.

According to what was written on it, the hill on the left was Nador, and the one next to it was Didir. Nador was the taller of the two.

The map marked the area around both Nador and Didir as a level 2 danger zone.

I have no idea what level the monsters wandering around out there actually are.

But since the danger level here is 2, it’s clearly a different story compared to that watery slime savanna from the other day.

While Theo was still looking over Nador Hill, a woman approached, her body weak and drained. She stood at the front gate of Tuvei’s house, accompanied by a young girl, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Uncle... Tuvei," she said.

Theo could hear how faint her voice was. He helped by calling out for Tuvei, and it wasn’t long before the middle aged man came out.

"Is my medicine ready?" the woman asked, speaking softly.

"You can come back tomorrow. For now, just take the medicine I already gave you. Tonight, I’m heading up Nador Hill with some adventurers from the city."

The woman glanced over at Theo and gave him a sweet smile, "Please help him, Mr. Adventurer."

"Of course. I’ll do everything I can to get the herbs for your medicine," Theo answered.

She smiled, pleased, then said her goodbyes and left, guided along by the girl beside her. Theo turned back and made sure to ask Tuvei something, "Is that medicine for her?"

"Not just for her," Tuvei answered, "There are sixteen people who’ll benefit from the Maysha Lotus."

"Their condition is pretty severe. The ground poison is eating away at their nerves and joints, leaving their bodies weak and their joints aching all over."

"With the Maysha Lotus, we can at least clear the ground poison out of their systems," Tuvei explained.

Theo went quiet for a moment, his gaze drifting back out into the distance, watching the woman slowly move further away from Tuvei’s home.

At first, Theo had assumed Tuvei wanted to stock up on Maysha Lotus for future use. But he hadn’t expected that the man was actually racing against time to save his patients’ lives.

That was why Tuvei wanted to head up the hill as soon as possible. It wasn’t carelessness, it was that he was running out of time. Theo had no reason to turn him down.

"We’ll get it for sure," Theo said, reassuring him.

Tuvei turned to Theo and smiled, nodding with relief and a look of confidence, "That’s right! We can definitely get it!"

"I-I’ll go back and finish up my brewing quickly before night."

"Sure."

He went back inside the house to continue working on his medicine, while Theo chose to wait in the living room and relax for a while.

Before he knew it, the orange glow on the western horizon faded away, giving way to a dark night sparkling with stars.

Theo got up and got ready, then turned and asked Tuvei to get ready too. They’d be leaving an hour after sunset. Thalia heard this and immediately told Lily and Aya to prepare themselves.

Right at seven in the evening, they were all set. Theo and Tuvei were already waiting out in the front yard, holding torches to light their way.

The front door opened, and Thalia and the others arrived. Tuvei looked pleased to see they were ready.

"Stay close, and don’t do anything unless I tell you to," Theo said firmly. They all nodded, falling in line.

Before long, they set off, leaving Tuvei’s house behind and heading toward Nador Hill. They didn’t take the village’s main road, instead following another route that Tuvei knew well.

According to Tuvei, it was the fastest way to reach the valley of Nador Hill, the spot where Maysha Lotus flowers grew and bloomed the most.

The further they climbed up the narrow trail, the more the silence of the hill seemed to close in around them. Theo walked up front, with Tuvei, Lily, and Aya in the middle, and Thalia keeping watch from the rear.

SSRKK!

A faint rustling sound drifted over from somewhere nearby. Theo immediately stopped in his tracks and told everyone to form a circle. He glanced to the side and noticed Aya looked nervous, trembling with fear.

This is probably her first mission ever, and that’s probably why she’s so on edge.

"Is the valley still far from here?" Theo asked.

Tuvei cleared his throat before answering, "Yeah, about another half hour from here."

Theo nodded, then told them to keep moving that way carefully. He stayed put for the moment and asked Thalia to walk up front and help guide them.

"All right," Thalia said quietly.

Once they’d walked a good distance, Theo was caught off guard by a distinct sound coming from the bushes beside him. It was a bit far off, but in the silence of the place, it carried clearly.

Out of the bushes emerged a wild boar, about the size of a sheep, its sharp tusks jutting forward.

"What is that...?" Thalia asked.

"Wild boar!"

"Keep moving, I’ll hold it off!"

"Do you need my help?" Thalia asked, half shouting.

"No," Theo answered, "I can handle this one!"