2: Chapter 2 Hope for a Cure for Cancer

His beard and hair were completely white, yet he ran so fast.

Zhang Mu watched the old man's silhouette disappear around a distant corner, feeling somewhat stunned.

Then he remembered this was a "magic world." Judging by the old man's attire, he was likely a magician, so it wasn't that strange.

Withdrawing his gaze, he looked at the four gold coins lying in his palm, engraved with unknown flowers. "Is this for real?"

He didn't have a magnet to test them, but Zhang Mu didn't care too much. Even if they were fake, it was only a cup of instant noodles.

Putting the four gold coins into his breast pocket, he resumed what had been interrupted and silently chanted "Open" in his mind.

A light screen emerged.

[Character: Zhang Mu]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[Rank: None]

[Skills: None]

[Unlocked Functions: inventory, Resurrection on the Spot, Return to City Resurrection (City not yet bound)]

"Resurrection on the Spot" and "Return to City Resurrection" were grayed out, so Zhang Mu silently thought of the only lit option, "inventory."

All options on the light screen vanished, turning into a 10x5 grid.

He didn't find anything like a novice gift pack; all fifty slots were empty.

Since it was an inventory, things from this world should be able to go in, right?

Taking the four gold coins out of his pocket, he followed his previous experience and said "Store" in his mind.

The four gold coins disappeared from his hand and appeared in the first slot, with an "X4" mark in the bottom right corner.

After staring for a while, Zhang Mu suddenly remembered that the light screen could also be summoned in the real world, so the items from the game...

Once the thought occurred, it couldn't be stopped. He immediately said in his mind, "Exit."

A swirling light gate appeared, and he vanished.

Passersby had no reaction at all, busy with their own commuting and shopping.

——————

His vision cleared, and Zhang Mu looked around. He was back in his living room. "You return to where you entered from; that's quite convenient."

Then he turned his attention to the light screen in front of him: "inventory."

The grid expanded, and the four gold coins in the first slot were still there, having not disappeared because of his return to the real world.

Taking a deep breath, he spread the fingers of his right hand and whispered, "Withdraw."

The four gold coins suddenly appeared, lying quietly in his palm.

"It's actually..." Zhang Mu felt a slight dizziness in his head, "It's actually real!"

Great waves surged in his heart. Suppressing his excitement, he picked up a gold coin and bit it. The sensation from his teeth and the bite mark on the coin's surface told him everything was true!

Zhang Mu's eyes burned with fervor. The fact that items could be brought back meant other things could be too, like magic.

Modern medicine was indeed powerless against his lung cancer, but what about a product of fantasy like magic?

If magic alone didn't work, what about a combination of both?

At least there was a hope of success, which was better than waiting for death.

Calming his restless emotions, Zhang Mu grabbed his phone, bank card, and ID card, then pushed the door open and left home.

He was going to find a jewelry store to test the purity of the four gold coins and sell them for money.

After learning he had a terminal illness, he chose to give up treatment because the cost was too high and it would only delay death for a short time.

This had no meaning other than making him struggle in pain for a few more days, not to mention he didn't have much money on him to begin with.

But now there was a hope of a cure, no matter how small; he had to try.

To buy himself time to learn magic, he had to delay the progression of the disease as much as possible, which required money.

After leaving the residential area, Zhang Mu took a taxi to the pedestrian street. After paying and getting out, he scanned left and right, then chose the largest jewelry store to enter.

"Hello sir, how can I help you?" a sales assistant came forward to greet him.

"Purity testing."

"This way, please."

The two walked to the office area at the back of the store. The assistant explained the reason to a man behind a desk, who stood up and extended his hand to Zhang Mu across the table.

Their hands met briefly.

"Hello, where is the item?"

Zhang Mu took out a gold coin and handed it over. "This one."

The man took it, turned to an instrument, placed the coin on the scanner, and performed a series of operations.

A few minutes later, he returned to the table with the coin. "The gold content is quite high. It's pure gold."

"Do you buy them?" Zhang Mu didn't waste words and directly took out the other three. "Four in total."

"Of course we do. Do you have a certificate?"

"No."

"Then the price will be a bit lower."

"That's fine."

Seeing how straightforward he was, the man was also direct. He tested the other three coins, weighed them together, and gave a price of "20,940."

Zhang Mu nodded in agreement, and the man transferred the money directly via Alipay.

Having received the money, he made his way back home.

Sitting on the sofa, he placed his phone on the table and stared at the balance, grinning foolishly.

After a long time, his gaze moved to the corner, where an opened cardboard box sat. It was a twelve-pack; he had made one this morning, leaving eleven, which meant...

Zhang Mu did a quick mental calculation. The remaining half-box of instant noodles could be exchanged for 44 gold coins, or over 200,000 in cash.

Even if he sold them for one coin less each, that would still be 33 gold coins!

He was no longer short of money.

Grinning, he picked up his phone and called his attending physician, making an appointment for conservative treatment at the hospital tomorrow.

Then he stood up, walked to the corner, and picked up three cups of noodles in his arms. He stored the rest in his inventory, then summoned the light gate and stepped inside.

——————

Game World.

Potter carried the instant noodles and ran all the way to a wooden house in a corner of the town. He pushed the door open, entered, and sat at the dining table.

First, he put his nose close to the noodle cup and sniffed. "The aroma is rich and enticing. Hmm... I can't distinguish the ingredients."

Using a fork to twirl the noodles and stuff them into his mouth, Potter paused, then cried out, "This texture—"

He had never eaten food with such a rich flavor. Even his favorite roast chicken was considered delicious with just a bit of salt.

No longer caring about analyzing the ingredients, he flicked the plastic fork rapidly. The noodles quickly entered his mouth, and after a few chews, they were swallowed.

The noodles reached the bottom, and he picked up the cup to drink it all in one gulp.

Tipping the last broken noodle into his mouth, Potter put down the cup, still wanting more, and brought over a bowl of cold water.

He didn't even wait for the water to boil and directly made a cup of cold "soup."

After finishing, Potter patted his belly with satisfaction. "Delicious food. Four gold coins is such a great value."

"It's just that the noodles were soaked a bit too long and got a little bloated."

"And the bowl." He held up the cup and examined the outer packaging. "Is the person painted on?

Such exquisite artistry; even the chief painter of the royal palace couldn't do this. Those nobles in the capital would definitely be willing to pay a high price for it.

Subtracting the four gold coins I used to buy it, there's likely still a profit to be made.

Eh? Is this writing?

It should be."

Although he didn't recognize it, he didn't care. The continent was vast, with many nations and races; it was normal for unfamiliar scripts to appear.

He got up and went to the sink, scooped a bowl of water from the bucket at his feet to wash away the grease inside the cup, and carefully hid it in the innermost part of the cabinet.

Sitting back at the table, Potter prepared to conduct a magic experiment, but the lingering taste in his mouth made it impossible for him to calm down.

*Thud—*

He struck the floor hard with the staff in his right hand and stood up to walk out. "I'll go find that gentleman and buy another portion."