Noticing Dream Weaver's dazed expression, the grandmother of the Northern family furrowed her brow deeply. Her sharp, blade-like eyes swept over Dream Weaver as if she were about to scold her for skipping training.
But just as the words were about to leave her lips, she seemed to think better of it and swallowed them back.
The grandmother glanced at the spaced-out Dream Weaver and spoke to her with an impassive face.
"Since you're in no state to train right now, follow me."
With that, she turned and pushed her wheelchair into the Western-style mansion that reeked of decay.
Bombarded by a flood of information and unsure how to react, Dream Weaver instinctively followed.
No candles were lit in the gloomy mansion, let alone electric lights. The only illumination came from a few scattered beams of sunlight filtering through the windows, casting mottled patches along the hallway.
As she walked over the dark brown wooden floorboards, Dream Weaver listened to the click-clack of her own footsteps and thought to herself:
'No wonder this place smells like rotten wood. Without a trace of sunlight, of course it would reek like this.'
But she didn't let her mind wander further. Watching the figure pushing the wheelchair ahead, Dream Weaver narrowed her eyes slightly.
There were more important things to think about right now than trivial matters like this.
Following behind her so-called grandmother, she silently summoned her status panel in her mind.
Now that she had calmed down, Dream Weaver could finally take a proper look at this drastically changed interface.
The first thing that caught her eye was her name, which had been changed at some point. Dream Weaver read it silently to herself.
"Northern… Dreams?"
"Is Northern some prestigious family? Why have I never heard of it?"
She didn't dwell on it too much. After all, Dream Weaver knew she wasn't well-versed in the world of horse racing. It wasn't surprising that there might be a famous family name she hadn't heard of.
Just as the system had explained at the beginning of this script world, the elite families in the horse racing world rose and fell over time. In reality, this so-called Northern family was probably one that had faded into obscurity.
And her main mission this time might be to restore this once-great family to its former glory in the racing world?
After resolving the name issue, Dream Weaver turned her attention to her unusually high stats.
In the previous two script worlds, she hadn't even debuted yet. If things were the same as before, did that mean she now had three A-ranks and two B-ranks even before her debut race in this script?
The thought made her pupils contract and her heart skip a beat.
Even someone with world-class innate talent like Orfevre wouldn't have stats like these before their debut race.
Could it be that her identity in this script world was that of a once-in-a-generation genius, even more terrifying than Orfevre?
Before Dream Weaver could ponder further, the old woman pushing the wheelchair ahead seemed to sense her distraction. A hoarse voice came from up front.
"I know you're nervous. This is your first official race since your debut, after all."
"And it's a G2 graded stakes race—it's only natural to feel nervous."
Her words provided Dream Weaver with a wealth of information.
So, in this script world, she had already made her debut.
However, judging from the description of it being her first official race, the timeline should still be relatively early—at least not yet at the point of the classic triple crown races.
Dream Weaver mused silently.
Even so, her current stats were incredibly powerful for a rookie in her first year.
And thanks to the skill [Blueblood], Dream Weaver no longer had stat limits. If she continued training until the Triple Crown races...
She hardly dared imagine how strong she would be by then.
With the support of numerous skills and zones, she might even sweep all three Classic Triple Crown races.
Could it be that the goal of obtaining the [Triple Crown Proof] would be achieved in this very script?!
Dream Weaver's heart raced with excitement. She never expected such a perfect start. With stats like these, completing the main mission was practically a sure thing.
Once the points were settled and the [Triple Crown Proof] was hers, her goal of exchanging for the Hope Gem would be within reach.
Before entering this script world, Dream Weaver never dreamed progress could be made this quickly. Even her perpetually tense nerves relaxed slightly in that moment.
But her joy was short-lived. That raspy voice shattered her illusions.
"But this is, after all, a precursor to the Kikuka Shō. To secure your entry and prove the Northern family's glory to the world, you must win the Kobe Shimbun Hai!"
The combined weight of those three terms—Kikuka Shō, precursor race, Kobe Shimbun Hai—overwhelmed all of Dream Weaver's previous thoughts.
In that moment, only one sentence echoed in her mind:
"The Kobe Shimbun Hai is a precursor to the Kikuka Shō… so it's… September?!"
The realization left her reeling. She never imagined she'd entered the script world at such a late stage.
Forget winning the Triple Crown—the Satsuki Shō and Japanese Derby had ended months ago!
No wonder her stats were so much higher than in previous scripts. The timeline was simply much further along.
Before Dream Weaver could sort through her chaotic thoughts, the old woman's grating voice, harsh as a rusted blade, scraped through the gloomy hallway once more.
"The three-thousand-meter Kikuka Shō is the ultimate stage to determine the strongest Uma Musume. This is where we will prove who is the undisputed queen of long-distance racing!"
Without giving Dream Weaver time to process this, she continued in that same hoarse, gloomy tone, sharp and grating like a crow's cry.
"And after that, the Tennō Shō (Spring)! Then the Tennō Shō (Autumn)!"
"What of that so-called three-generation reign over the Tennō Shō? You're so obsessed with that title, aren't you? Just watch—we're going to shatter that despicable record!"
Her vehement tone was laced with unmistakable hatred and jealousy, as if she weren't just speaking to Dream Weaver but confronting some distant, unseen rival.
Suddenly, she turned her head sharply. Her gloomy, piercing eyes fixed intently on Dream Weaver, and her bony fingers tightened on the armrests of the wheelchair, knuckles turning pale.
"Dreams will make you understand that the glory of the Northern family has never faded… Even without outstanding descendants, we will cut short your triumphant feast!"
"Mark my words… Mejiro Asama!"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.