Ren understood that life for the poor in this world was far more grueling than in his previous one. Many people earned only about 500 credits a month. Aside from a universal lack of labor protections and minimum wage laws, the primary culprit was the extreme polarization of education.
While the state subsidized education, the affordable public schools were starved of resources. Their teachers, materials, and curricula couldn't hold a candle to the elite private schools. Consequently, most children from poor families spent their time in public schools essentially "playing" until they graduated middle school and dropped out to work. In reality, they barely learned to read and write; some couldn't even perform basic math without a calculator.
This lack of education barred them from skilled, high-paying jobs. Meanwhile, private school tuitions—often costing hundreds of thousands of credits—were an impossible dream. This resulted in a university graduate ratio far lower than what Ren remembered from his old world.
In an era of space travel, a massive portion of the workforce had been relegated to the fringes of society, surviving on low-end manual labor. Worse, their jobs were being squeezed by the relentless advance of automation and robotics. This wasn't just an Imperial problem; it was a global crisis.
In fact, if the original Ren hadn't pushed himself through community college night classes to earn an Associate degree while working, his situation would be no better than theirs.
Ren recalled that it was Yuzhu's team that had been providing free legal aid in the neighborhood back then. The original owner of this body, desperate over tuition fees, had consulted her and learned he could apply for a student loan. Ren had added her on his messaging app back then, and after several detailed and helpful interactions, they had become acquaintances.
"Sister Yuzhu," Ren said with a smile and a nod as he walked past.
"Ren! Just getting off work?"
"I took the day off to handle some business. I'm just getting back."
"Here, take a look at our proposal! Remember to show your support!" Yuzhu shoved a flyer into his hand with a bright grin.
"I will, definitely," Ren promised. He chatted with her for a few more moments before heading off, looking down at the paper as he walked.
He skimmed the contents. It was a petition to establish a minimum wage for general workers in the province. They had launched a signature campaign on the Provincial Council's website. According to the rules, if a proposal gathered 50,000 signatures, it would become an official bill for the Council to debate. If passed, it would become law.
Ren shook his head privately. Based on his experience from his past life, he didn't think such a bill would pass. Even if they got the signatures, the elites in the Council weren't about to pass a law that effectively carved pieces of profit out of their own pockets. Still, he admired the young group's sincerity and decided he would sign it just to support them.
Once home, Ren locked his door. He pulled up the Provincial Council's website on his phone, found the petition, and added his signature and information.
That done, he turned off his phone and summoned the Wish Book. As expected, new text had appeared on the pages:
*Wish: I want to obtain one million credits—legally.*
*Status: Fulfilled.*
*Cost: 10,000 Wish Points.*
Ren closed the book and flipped it over. The number on the back cover had changed from 75,613 to 65,613—exactly 10,000 points less.
Combining this with his previous small wish, Ren had reason to believe that the number on the back represented his remaining "fuel." Every wish consumed points. Logic dictated that once the points hit zero, he wouldn't be able to make any more wishes.
*How do I get more points?* Ren pondered. He couldn't find an answer yet, so he marked it as a high-priority mystery to solve.
Furthermore, he noticed a clear correlation: 1 point seemed to equal roughly 100 credits. By that logic, his remaining 65,613 points could be exchanged for about 6.5 million credits.
Ren immediately discarded the idea as foolish. While six million credits would make him wealthy by common standards, it was nothing compared to the world's true power players—the corporations, the nobility, and the Royal Family.
He followed the news and financial markets enough to know that even small public companies had market caps in the billions. The world's top billionaires held hundreds of billions. As for the Royal Family, while their finances were private, it wouldn't be surprising if their accumulated wealth reached into the trillions. After all, this was a dynasty that once literally owned everything "under the sun."
Against these titans, six million credits was a drop in the ocean. Moreover, he didn't want to exhaust a precious resource like Wish Points without knowing how to replenish them. What if they were a one-time gift?
Another point of concern was the "safety" of the wishes. To get 100 credits, he almost tripped. To get a million, the ground collapsed and he was nearly impaled by rebar. It seemed the book didn't just give you what you wanted; it manipulated reality to make it happen, often through violent coincidences.
Ren decided to experiment.
"I wish for an additional one thousand Wish Points," Ren tried.
This time, the text appeared in a blood-red font:
*Wish: I wish for an additional one thousand Wish Points.*
*Status: Unattainable. The Book cannot fulfill wishes that present a logical paradox.*
Ren sighed. It wasn't going to be a perpetual motion machine.
"I wish that, after every future wish, the Book will immediately show the events required to fulfill it." He wanted to eliminate the uncertainty.
Again, the red text appeared:
*Wish: I wish for a preview of the events required to fulfill a wish.*
*Status: Unattainable. The Book itself is outside the scope of the wishes.*
"I wish for the Book to add a function that predicts how many points a wish will cost before I make it."
*Status: Unattainable. The Book itself is outside the scope of the wishes.*
Ren tried several more variations, attempting to modify the Book's functions from various angles. The only result was a flurry of red text. No matter how he phrased it, the Book would not change itself.
It made sense. A person, no matter how strong, cannot pick themselves up by their own bootstraps. It was a logical impossibility.
"I wish to see the rules regarding the Wish Book, within the limits of what is allowed," Ren finally said.
This time, the text returned to its normal color:
*Wish: I wish to see the rules of the Wish Book.*
**Sincere Guidance:**
1. **The Book can fulfill any wish within the rules, provided the user has sufficient points.**
2. **Be warned: fulfilling a wish may carry side effects. If the gap between the wish and the user's current reality is too vast, these side effects become uncontrollable.**
3. **The difficulty (cost) of a wish is directly related to the disturbance it causes to the World's Fate Line.**
4. **Vagueness in a wish's description will affect the difficulty calculation.**
5. **Difficulty is directly proportional to the Wish Points required.**
6. **The Book will not change the status quo of the user's Known World.**
7. **The user can increase Wish Points through specific means.**
8. **There is much more to learn about this Book; never assume you fully understand it.**
*Status: Fulfilled.*
*Cost: 10,000 Wish Points.*
Ren flipped the book over. The number was now 55,613. The information was expensive, but it was vital. It would save him from making fatal mistakes.
Specifically, he now knew for certain that points *could* be increased. That alone was enough to settle his nerves.
To Ren, the most subtle rule was the sixth: *Will not change the status quo of the user's Known World.*
From his experience, the Book didn't just "poof" things into existence. It didn't make a million credits appear out of thin air. Instead, it worked like a series of "Final Destination" events—guiding fate until the goal was reached within the laws of causality.
But what did "Known World" mean? Human technology in this world had reached interplanetary travel within the solar system. As an educated man, Ren understood the scope of explored space. Did the "Known World" include everything humanity had mapped or could understand? If a wish involved something *outside* that scope, would the manifestation be more direct?
Ren tucked the Book away. There was no use overthinking it now; he would figure it out as he gathered more data.
That night, after dinner, Ren logged into his student loan account. His tuition at the Lingshou City College had been 5,000 credits a year. Even by pooling his parents' entire inheritance, he had only been able to pay for the first year. In this world, higher education was a luxury.
He had 9,600 credits left on his debt. Ren selected the option to pay in full. As his bank balance shifted to 992,530, a massive weight lifted from his shoulders. He was officially debt-free.
Ren stretched. Having money felt incredible. He looked around his shack. Recent rains had left the room smelling of mold, and dark spots were spreading in the corners. The mismatched, cheap furniture was barely functional. He decided that moving to a better home was his next priority.
But what should his next wish be? What did he truly want?
Was it money?
Money was necessary for a good life, but Ren knew he wasn't a miser. If he had to choose, his first choice wouldn't be wealth. In his past life, he had been a fan of martial arts and legends of immortals. He had even spent his free time practicing traditional arts and breathing exercises, dreaming of becoming a master. In a world without magic, it had only served to keep him healthy.
But now, he saw a path to making that dream real. He wanted power that belonged to him alone. He wanted...
**Eternal Life.**
To traverse the world in a blink, to see the sunrise on one peak and the sunset on another half a world away—that was his true dream.
However, from what he could gather from his memories, this world seemed fundamentally the same as his old one. Religions existed, but there were no confirmed cases of supernatural events. He needed to prepare before he could experiment with such high-level concepts.
Ren went online and researched outdoor gear and survival equipment. After comparing brands, he went to "Treasure Net," the country's largest e-commerce platform. He ordered a comprehensive kit: hiking boots, a high-capacity backpack, lightweight outdoor clothing, a windproof lighter, a high-intensity flashlight, climbing ropes, carabiners, a portable telescope, a multi-tool tactical knife, military rations, a folding shovel, a compass, and a waterproof watch. He chose reputable, mid-range brands. The total came to nearly 2,000 credits.
The next morning, Ren walked up to his supervisor, Li Ling. "Sister Ling, here is my resignation."
Seeing her shocked expression, he added, "I'll finish my current tasks, but I won't be taking on any new projects."
"Why the sudden move?" Ling asked, scanning the letter. It was a standard, professional resignation.
"A friend of mine is starting a business and asked me to help out," Ren lied. He couldn't exactly tell her he'd found a magic book and become a millionaire.
Li Ling shook her head slowly. "Starting a business isn't easy..."
Secretly, she didn't want him to leave. He was a skilled worker, and his departure would slow the team down. But she knew better than to burn bridges. "Are you sure about this?"
"I am. I'm still young; I have to take the chance."
"Fine. I'll talk to HR and try to get your pay settled by the end of the week." She wasn't going to make it difficult for him. "Spend the next two days handing over your work. I'll assign someone to take over your tasks."
"Thank you, Sister Ling," Ren said sincerely.
"Good luck, Ren. I hope you fly high."
"I appreciate the kind words."
When he got back to his desk, his fellow intern Sun Yunxing leaned over. "You're quitting?" He had clearly been eavesdropping.
"Yeah, starting a business with a friend," Ren nodded.
"You have to be careful with that..." Sun muttered, sounding slightly bitter as he began recounting stories of failed startups he'd heard about. When Ren didn't engage, Sun went quiet.
A few minutes later, Sun leaned over again, his tone more complex. "Ren, if you make it big, don't forget your old colleagues, alright?"
Two days later, a delivery man knocked on Ren's door. "Package for you, sir."
"Thank you."
Logistics in this world were highly advanced, often using drones. However, in the slums, they still used human couriers. Too many drones had been shot down by residents with slingshots trying to steal the packages.
Ren opened the box and tried on his olive-drab hiking gear and boots. Everything fit perfectly. He tested the tools; they were all in working order. He was ready.
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