Chapter 5: The Function of Hope

"Ah, Seven Wolves? Really?" Feng Xue looked at the new collectible that had appeared before him, his lips twitching slightly. But more than the modest 15% increase in attack power, he was concerned about his SAN value, which had fallen to 57.

"I am Feng Xue, a transmigrant from the family of Seed Sowers, currently exploring the functionalities of the Golden Finger…"

Starting with the philosophical triad, Feng Xue conducted a self-check to ensure his mental state was stable, and only after confirming there were no anomalies did he breathe a sigh of relief—

"Good news, it seems that a substantial one-time reduction in SAN doesn't lead to madness, but this doesn't mean there are no consequences after it runs out. And it was just a standard combat scenario; to encounter such a creature suggests I need to be extra careful… Hmm, the warning before the node might actually be a hint for the strategy."

While contemplating this, Feng Xue didn't stop his progress because, from what he could gather about the original body's memories and his current experiences in the meat pigeon world, it seemed likely that he was living through the original owner's life—potentially changing history through simulation, as in some simulator-themed stories.

Regardless of the scenario, this meant that in reality, there could also be creatures capable of causing a rapid loss of SAN. Considering his current life in prison, it was crucial for him to understand as much as possible about this identity.

"Phew… Let's continue."

Adjusting his emotions, Feng Xue focused on the last node—[Intersecting Dreams].

"This name… doesn't seem like a combat scenario. According to the conventions of Integrated Strategies, could the final node of the first level be a shop or simply a reward stage?"

With this thought, Feng Xue concentrated his mind, and a line of text appeared:

[Intersecting dreams create more possibilities; perhaps you will find what you seek here.]

As the ink-like text dispersed, a familiar character appeared before Feng Xue—not the eerie peddler Kannot, but a regal young woman dressed in an elegant black kimono with long black hair styled in a princess cut.

"Damn! A sales pitch!"

Feng Xue's expression changed slightly, beginning to question the integrity of his so-called Golden Finger. After several tests, realizing that it was indeed just a non-interactive character illustration, he redirected his attention to the eight "products" displayed beneath the character.

The first two products, resembling tickets, were priced at 4 Dreams each—one depicted with a caduceus, and the other showed a flexed bicep.

Their names were [Medical Unlock Ticket] and [Sports Unlock Ticket] respectively, likely equivalent to operator recruitment tickets in Integrated Strategies. Considering this, Feng Xue guessed these were options for spending Hope.

The remaining six items were four common white collectibles and two rare blue ones, all frustratingly represented only by silhouettes without any detailed attributes or visible appearance, making it impossible to guess their functions from the look, only identifiable by the color of their borders.

"Common collectibles are 8 Dreams each, and rare ones are 12 Dreams. I currently have 32 Dreams and 6 Hope. I could get four common or two blue and one common collectible with my Dreams, but…"

Feng Xue's eyes lingered on the two unlock tickets.

Without considering completion of the level, exploring the capabilities of the Golden Finger was paramount. Not to mention the inherent value of the unlock ticket, the mere fact that it might require spending Hope was enough to capture Feng Xue's attention.

After all, given what is known so far, Hope appears to be more valuable than Dreams. Thus, what Hope can acquire is undeniably critical for Feng Xue to understand.

"Let's buy an unlock ticket first and see what Hope can really get. If it's not worth it, then I can focus all my efforts on acquiring Dreams later." Thinking this, Feng Xue did not hesitate to choose Medical over Sports.

It wasn't out of professional discrimination, but because he was currently incarcerated, even a bit of first aid knowledge would be more useful than learning to run or do gymnastics.

[Do you want to spend 4 Dreams to purchase the Medical Unlock Ticket?]

As he affirmed his choice, a clear voice rang out, and a menu popped up from the unlock ticket.

The menu's UI was simple, resembling a bookshelf with books listed only by their titles. Perusing these medical texts, Feng Xue quickly noticed a glaring inconsistency—the pricing.

Typically, specialties that sounded expensive, like oncology, neurosurgery, neurology, and ophthalmology, were all priced at 0 Hope. Surprisingly, the most expensive was Human Anatomy, demanding a staggering 12 Hope!

"What's going on? Is there some profound knowledge in anatomy?" Realizing he could only choose one unlock, Feng Xue directed his focus to the second most expensive item—

[First Aid].

This book was priced at 6 Hope, with the others mostly at 2 Hope or free.

He chose it not just because he could afford it, but also because he intended to acquire first aid knowledge. As he made his selection, the book opened, revealing the following options—

Please select the level to unlock:

Beginner: 0 Hope

Professional: 2 Hope

Expert: 4 Hope

Master: N/A

"Master level is not available, meaning that the original owner of this body reached the expert level in first aid, so I can spend up to 6 Hope to unlock expert-level first aid skills. Anatomy priced at 12 Hope, sheesh…"

Thinking about how the original owner of this body had mastered anatomy to the highest level while barely reaching professional levels in most medical skills made Feng Xue's scalp tingle, suddenly making the imprisonment somewhat understandable.

But this made the function of [Skill Unlock Tickets] and the term [Hope] clearer.

Simply put, it allowed the inheritance of abilities and knowledge from the predecessor through Hope points.

Yet, this also implied that the highest level Feng Xue could achieve through the meat pigeon system was limited to the original owner's capabilities.

With this realization, and a slight unease about the collectibles, Feng Xue spent 6 Hope to unlock expert-level first aid.

Instantly, a wealth of knowledge flooded his mind, and various methods of emergency medical treatment appeared vividly, ranging from handling common sudden illnesses to various traumas. Initially, the information was relatively normal, but as it progressed, it became increasingly outlandish, even including knowledge on how to sustain life signs when only half of the body remained.

"This world indeed has supernatural forces!" The transfer of knowledge abruptly stopped, and Feng Xue felt mixed emotions because, in the latter half of the expert-level knowledge, he repeatedly encountered instructions like "constructing temporary organs to sustain life signs while awaiting rescue."

As he pondered, Feng Xue's consciousness returned to the shopping panel of [Intersecting Dreams]. This time, however, he did not opt for the [Sports Unlock Ticket], not because he had

run out of Hope—he still had enough Dreams for several more purchases, and he preferred to spend them all in one go rather than save for a potential return to this level.

But he had to consider: what if he gambled on the collectibles and they turned out to increase Hope?

With this thought, Feng Xue decided to purchase two blue collectibles.