MTLNOVEL Chapter 314: I'll be going to the mountain in a few days
That would make it worth it. That would make Isabella's annoyance, frustration, and dramatic monologue feel useful. Not just another harsh lecture that went in one ear and out the other.
But then again, knowing Ophelia…
She probably wasn't mad. She wasn't like the type to stew in anger. She was more of a quiet sadness kind of girl. The kind that smiles at you like everything's fine, but her eyes look like they've been raining in secret.
Yeah. Maybe a little sad. Definitely not mad.
Still, Isabella wished the girl would just show her face already. Let her know she was okay. Or not okay. Either worked. As long as she said something. Because the silence? It was making Isabella itch in places she didn't want to admit she had emotions in.
She needed something else to focus on. Immediately.
"Bubu," she called, sitting on the edge of her sleeping mat and straightening her spine. Her voice was firm, but her eyes were tired. "What are the materials needed for healing Shelia? I'll be going to the mountain in a few days."
A faint hum filled the room, and then, like smoke curling into shape, Bubu's little form manifested in front of her, glowing faintly blue with that cheeky smirk it always wore.
"Of course," Bubu said with a dramatic bow, "here is your list…"
A scroll unfolded mid-air in front of her, glowing letters scrawling across it in real time. Isabella leaned forward and squinted, but the moment she read the first line, her breath caught in her throat.
Her eyes widened, and she instinctively reached out as if trying to stop the information from continuing. "Wait—what?"
But it was too late. The scroll was already spilling its secrets.
🧪 INGREDIENTS + USES
1. Moonpetal Lily
Found: Near the waterfall cave halfway up the mountain. Only blooms under moonlight.
Use: Regenerates skin cells and restores flesh. Glows softly when touched by someone with pure intentions.
Note: Must not be plucked. It has to fall naturally into your hands.
2. Ashvine Root
Found: Grows along the skeleton of a dead ancient beast at the peak.
Use: Rebuilds destroyed bones and marrow, but causes temporary hallucinations if mishandled.
Note: Must be dug out with bare hands and soaked in mountain dew for an hour.
3. Firemoss
Found: Inside a magma-split rock halfway up.
Use: Restores voice and vocal cords. Feels warm to the touch, even in snow.
Note: Can only be handled with fingers dipped in snowmelt, or it burns.
4. Silent Nectar
Found: Collected from a rare hummingbird that only drinks from skyflowers near the summit.
Use: Repairs nerves and heals internal organs.
Note: The bird must willingly drop a bead of nectar into a bowl carved from ice. Cannot be forced.
5. Ghostshade Bark
Found: On the bark of the translucent Ghostshade tree near the cliff edge.
Use: Prevents body rot and stops the spread of poison.
Note: Only a woman who has cried for another's death can see the tree.
6. Redstone Powder
Found: Beneath the cave floor at the mountain's entrance.
Use: Activates the ritual and binds all ingredients together.
Note: It's protected by hallucination-inducing spores. You'll need a wet cloth over your mouth to breathe safely.
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Isabella blinked at the floating list, then closed her eyes slowly, exhaling like someone who just realized they signed up for war and didn't pack armor.
And the fact that this was only the list of ingredients needed to save Shelia didn't help her case. Because who knew—Bubu could always come up with one of its random or 'custom' tasks out of nowhere.
"Perfect. Just perfect," Isabella muttered, voice flat, lips pressed into a thin line. Her shoulders sagged a little as she dragged a hand through her hair and stood up. She wasn't mad—she was just exhausted. The kind of tired that didn't start in the body but somewhere deeper. In the soul.
Her feet padded lightly across the room floor as she began pacing. She wasn't doing this for recognition or glory. She wasn't even doing it because someone asked. She was doing this for Shelia.
Because Shelia had no one else.
And Isabella… well, maybe helping someone else would distract her from the fact that she didn't know how to help herself.
She'd been to the mountain before—and it was hell. But even then, she'd never really explored it. Just reading that list now felt like nature was personally daring her to try again, this time with a slap to the face.
A flower that only blooms under moonlight? A root buried under a dead beast's skeleton? Firemoss inside a lava-split rock?
Was this a healing ritual or a death wish?
And that part about hallucinations? Great. Just what she needed. Another trip where she'd probably end up seeing her dead bestfriend or worse—her own future.
And the Ghostshade Bark… that one stopped her cold.
"Only a woman who has cried for another's death can see the tree," she whispered to herself, her voice small now. Almost childlike.
For a moment, she just stood there, staring off at nothing. Her throat tightened. She thought of her best friend—the one she lost, the one she never let herself grieve. The one she pretended didn't hurt, because admitting it might've broken her.
But the truth was—she had cried. She had cried and cried until there was nothing left. Not that anyone knew. She cried in silence, In her room, in the middle of rainstorms so no one could hear her.
Maybe she could find that tree after all.
She bit her lip and shoved that thought away.
"Anyway," she cleared her throat. "You can leave now."
Bubu blinked once—almost surprised—but then vanished in a blink of blue light without it's usual dramatic protest or weird remark.
That made her pause.
"Huh." Her eyes narrowed.
It didn't even ask questions. No riddles. No teasing. No annoying commentary about how she might die.
"Suspicious," she muttered. "Very suspicious."
Still, she didn't have the energy to care right now.
Instead, she sat back down, rested her chin on her knees, and stared at the moonlight peeking through the window flap.
Soon, she would climb that mountain.
And whether or not she came back whole—well… that wasn't really the point anymore, was it?