Dream Weaver hadn't expected the Star of Stars to become a prerequisite for exchange items, much like the Proof of the Triple Crown.
However, the effects described for this particular item—the Holy Grail Dew—certainly justified its steep price tag.
"Heals any and all injuries and illnesses, huh? If I'd unlocked this sooner, maybe I wouldn't have needed to trade for the Hope Gem."
Dream Weaver's lips twitched into a wry smile, her heart a tangle of conflicting emotions.
A description as absolute as "healing all ailments" had never appeared in the System Mall before.
Back then, driven by the desperate need to save her mother who had fallen into a coma—perhaps due to a curse—Dream Weaver had seen the Hope Gem as her only choice.
Still, she didn't truly regret it.
The Hope Gem was a goal she could see from the very beginning, whereas the appearance of the Holy Grail Dew was a complete accident. If it weren't for this specific Scenario World, and if she hadn't triggered that hidden mission, she might never have laid eyes on this item.
Compared to something so uncertain, she had simply wanted her mother, Starlight, to walk out of that hospital room a little sooner.
Besides, the Hope Gem did more than just heal; it possessed the power to rewrite world lines. In Dream Weaver's eyes, that power was a necessity to ensure Starlight's true happiness.
If the Hope Gem hadn't shifted the world line, the Northern family in the real world might have long since faded into obscurity, rather than possessing the strength to establish their own ranch as they did now.
Even Mejiro Asama might have passed away in a state of bitter regret instead of remaining the head of the Mejiro house.
These realizations had slowly dawned on Dream Weaver in the months following her mother's awakening.
It explained why Starlight hadn't been found for so long, and why the Northern family head and Mejiro Asama were able to locate her almost immediately after the Hope Gem was used.
Perhaps in the original reality, those two elders—despite their iron will to find Starlight—had already lost the physical or social means to pursue her. That was why she had remained lost to the world.
Simply curing an illness wasn't enough.
For Dream Weaver, Starlight's path to happiness only truly began when she returned to the home she had left years ago, reconnecting with her elders and dissolving the grudges of the past.
Regardless, the sheer potency of the Holy Grail Dew made it worth the exchange.
Casting aside her lingering doubts over the past, Dream Weaver spoke in a low voice.
"System, exchange for the Holy Grail Dew."
[Exchange successful.]
After the transaction cleared, Dream Weaver checked the item's details again and noticed it had a limited number of uses.
"Three times... well, that should be plenty."
She nodded to herself, already having a few candidates in mind for the Dew's power.
With the Holy Grail Dew secured, Dream Weaver had 1,198 points remaining—more than enough to pick up the final two items.
"Why does it feel like almost all my points go toward healing other people?" she mused with a soft chuckle. "I really am a regular angel of mercy, aren't I?"
While she joked, she turned her attention back to the Mall interface, clicking on the detailed info for the two items priced at a single point each.
--+--
[Heart of the Sea]
[Description: Once, there was an Uma Musume who yearned to stand side-by-side with her mother.
She trained herself relentlessly to achieve that dream, only to discover a star even more radiant than herself—a star that even her mother couldn't help but watch with fascination.
Thus, even after winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe just as her mother had, she felt in her heart that she had failed to truly satisfy her mother's expectations.
But in truth, from the very moment she was born into this world, her mother had poured all her love into her, bestowing upon her a name that shone as brightly as the stars.
To a mother, love for her child never requires a reason.
Equipping this may slightly increase all basic attributes.]
[Note: "I'm the brightest star here... Fine, you're the brightest star too!" — A certain Uma Musume, who could be described as a classic 'tsundere,' huffed with her head held high.]
--+--
"How can there be two 'brightest' stars?"
Dream Weaver let out a light laugh as she read the note for the 'Heart of the Sea,' an item whose name was only a character away from a certain Uma Musume.
"But then again, if we're both the brightest, I suppose we'd be the twin stars above the world."
When this Scenario World began, Dream Weaver had assumed the "Twin Stars" referred to the two G1-level Uma Musume the mission tasked her to train.
By the time she reached the Arc, she thought the title referred to herself and the "other" Dream Weaver who had bestowed the Star of Stars upon her.
But seeing the Heart of the Sea, it suddenly occurred to her that her rivalry with Sea the Stars at the Arc might also be what that title meant.
"The Main Mission titles really do have layers of meaning. Why didn't I think of that before?"
Dream Weaver talked to herself as she exchanged for the Heart of the Sea, summoning it into reality.
The item was a pendant. At its center sat a flawlessly clear aquamarine, surrounded by diamonds set in the shape of a radiating star.
In terms of market value alone, this was likely the most expensive special item Dream Weaver had ever redeemed, but she wasn't in the mood to marvel at the jewelry.
Having discovered the clever wordplay in this mission, she couldn't help but look back at her previous scenarios, wondering if those titles held hidden interpretations as well.
However, that was a thought for another day.
After confirming the Heart of the Sea, Dream Weaver shook her head to clear her drifting thoughts and focused on the very last item at the bottom of the Mall.
--+--
[A Certain Concert Disc]
[Description: A disc recording a song performed after a glorious victory. Unlike those discs that bring curses, what is recorded here might just be the hope required to shatter a curse once and for all.]
[Status: Curse Terminated]
[Note: "If my leg is broken, I'll just stand right there and sing!" — A stubborn, black-haired Uma Musume insisted, refusing to miss her Winner's Stage.]
--+--
"A recording of a Winner's Stage, huh?"
"Come to think of it, that was the first time I actually got to stand on stage after the final battle of a scenario."
Curious to hear what she sounded like, Dream Weaver glanced around the room. She was met with nothing but bare walls.
The place was the literal definition of 'four walls and a floor'—there wasn't a single piece of equipment capable of playing a disc.
"Right... I guess my top priority now is actually buying some furniture."
For the first time since she started wanting to win races for herself, Dream Weaver felt a desire to furnish her home with something beyond the bare necessities for survival.
Perhaps it was her burgeoning sense of self, but she was finally taking that first step—walking out of the shadow of the orphanage from her past life and learning not to live solely for the sake of others.
Fortunately, she now had more than enough money to make those wishes come true.
After all, she had won three consecutive G1 races in the real world.
Her savings were, quite frankly, massive.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.