Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

"They believed that sacrificing a living doll could bring good fortune and peace to the village. Every ten years, the Shinbara family, who were in charge of the sacrifice, would send out a descendant to perform the sacrifice."

"Many years have passed, and the village has indeed remained peaceful, as if the prayers to the gods have been answered. However, the Kambara family, which has been responsible for the ritual of the dolls for generations, has been reduced from hundreds of families to just a few."

"Why is that?" the little girl asked, puzzled.

Su Qing'an smiled gently. He didn't blame Lin for interrupting the storytelling, and replied:

"Because the sacrifice is not without cost. The descendants of the Kambara clan sacrifice their own lives. Those who have participated in the sacrifice will quickly die within a few months."

The little girl was a little sad and her mood dropped. She said:

"...How cruel! Is that really a god? My sister said that gods are all loving and gentle, like...like my big brother's gentleness. Gods wouldn't be like that."

"That kind of thing is not a god."

Theresa stroked Rin's hair comfortingly, then glanced at the boy's face as if blaming him.

Gods?

If only such a god truly existed in this world, but the god I encountered was by no means a benevolent or gentle being.

Even now, perhaps every word and action of mine is being watched by that deity.

"Yes, but the villagers firmly believe that it is a god."

"The sacrifices made by the Kambara family for this are only to be expected. Perhaps the Kambara family members in the past held similar thoughts, but the current head of the Kambara family is different."

Su Qing'an recounted his experiences in Shenyuan Village to Yae Rin in the form of a story. He spoke very seriously, and the little girl listened very attentively.

That drowsiness seemed to be washed away by the other world revealed in the boy's words.

The power and mystery of the living doll, Kitahara Shin's determination and actions, and Kanbara Yu's story and personality.

Also, regarding Shuichi Kanbara's choice.

In the story told by Su Qing'an, the ending is that Shuichi Kanbara defeats the living dolls and the villagers, and he starts a new life with Yu Kanbara in a city in Kanagawa.

The old housekeeper and Kitahara Shin would take turns picking up and dropping off Kambara Yuu to and from school, and Kambara Shuichi would also accompany Kambara Yuu to many, many places during holidays.

"They went to aquariums, zoos, and famous tourist attractions around the world. Kanbara Yu's life was just beginning. As her father, Kanbara Osamu initially tried to make up for the freedom his daughter had lost over the years with his remaining lifespan."

"The story ends here."

This story, which existed only in dreams, has thus come to an end.

Rin was a little sad. She wanted the story to have a happy ending, but there was still a lingering sense of regret. She said:

"Why can't Uncle Kanbara stay with Yui forever?"

Su Qing'an was stunned. He thought that perhaps people are not easily satisfied. In Su Qing'an's eyes, who had experienced even worse endings, this was already the best possible outcome.

But in Rin's eyes, it is still a flawed and imperfect story.

Or perhaps, at the moment of his death, Shuichi Kanbara truly felt that this ending was beautiful enough.

Even though it brings sadness and pain to others, a spark of hope is ultimately passed on.

Su Qing'an smiled. Looking at the cherry blossoms fluttering in the air, he felt as if he had returned to the moment when he was talking with Shen Yuanxi.

The gloom that had been weighing on his heart suddenly dissipated somewhat, and he said:

"Yes, why? I'd like to know too."

"But this ending isn't too bad, right?"

The little girl widened her eyes in protest and said:

"Sigh! It was clearly my older brother who told the story! How could you say you didn't know it! How cunning!"

Theresa and Su Qing'an exchanged a glance and laughed at the same time.

The time spent in this peaceful and tranquil cherry blossom grove will be the last moment of tranquility in the Sacred Mark Space.

The storm was bound to come eventually.

68. Cherry blossom wine that has ended its cycle.

The girl picked up a dried cherry blossom and put it into the water tank.

The cherry blossoms float on the water, infused with a unique vitality. Their withered appearance gradually disappears, replaced by a delicate and vibrant beauty.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Yae Sakura gazed at the scene and smiled as she whispered:

"I'm sorry, Rin. I've unilaterally kept my promise to you, so does that count as us watching the cherry blossoms together?"

She still broke her promise, but perhaps that's enough.

The priestess sighed and said:

"Father, you are always so decisive."

Yesterday, this man entered Rin's room with a knife, only to be quickly subdued by the shrine maiden who was kneeling quietly in the darkness.

Yae Sakura understood what he wanted to do.

As before, they severed Rin's Achilles tendon, cutting off her escape route.

Yaehiko was now bound hand and foot, his head resting against the wall, his eyes staring at the wooden ceiling, his emotions swirling in a complex spiral.

He looked at the priestess following the voice, and suddenly laughed.

The emotions in his eyes were overwhelmed by the immense weight of the object, and the subtle sounds in the man's mind were abruptly amplified.

Noisy, volatile, quiet—a myriad of trivial, mysterious forces twisted the mind, steerding the outcome toward the predetermined path.

Yaehiko said with a smile:

"Sakura, do you know? I actually really hate Rin."

"It has been since she was born."

"So, making her a sacrifice has never been a particularly difficult decision for me."

Yae Sakura understood what the man meant.

My mother did not die from illness; as the previous generation's priestess, she had always been in good health.

However, she died in childbirth on the day she gave birth to Rin.

For Yaehiko, who deeply loves his wife, even though he understands that all of this has nothing to do with Rin, his emotions are still beyond his control.

Yae Sakura took out a porcelain cup from the cabinet, her expression serene and elegant.

She said calmly:

“My mother won’t be happy if she finds out.”

Yaehiko said:

"Yes, but that's just how terrible I am."

"I was hoping that you, Sakura, could stop me, and I was going all out. I know the limits of your abilities, I know you can't do it, but I also think that if you can stop me, it would be a good ending."

The man uttered words that were both awkward and utterly contradictory.

Yae Sakura understood what he meant, but she just found it funny.

She gently placed the porcelain cup in front of the man and said:

“Father, you have clearly carried out your actions to the very end, haven’t you? So stop saying so many meaningless things. Who will believe what you’re just saying?”

"As my mother once said, people's hearts can be as treacherous as monsters. The fact that my father could stay with my mother back then means that in my mother's eyes you were a kind and gentle person."

Yae Sakura's lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes brimming with laughter. She bent down and said to the man:

"But look at you now, how are you any different from a demon beast? For the village? For upholding the name of the God? For the Eightfold lineage? Perhaps, but I don't care about any of that. All I know is that for Rin and me, our father is now the kind of person our mother hates the most."

Yes, I hate it the most.

The one who understands that woman best is Yaehiko, and he certainly knows how disappointed she will be by his actions.

But the human heart is like a ghost or a demon; the Yaehiko of yesteryear and the Yaehiko of today are no longer the same person.

Does he still really love that woman?

Death may beautify love, but time can erase many more things.

Yaehiko suddenly fell silent.

He thought he was just making excuses for himself. Because Rin killed his wife, he disliked Rin and could use Rin as a sacrifice without any burden.

Even I, who did this, can understand how ridiculous this logic is.

But hidden within its core lies a degree of cowardice.

Power is poison.

But when one goes against worldly rules, will the position of the deity become unstable?

He harbored a desire for these things, and then added many embellished reasons to justify this desire.

Those reasons may be true or false, but do they matter?

Not important anymore.

The man was silent for a moment, then looked at the porcelain cup on the ground and suddenly said:

"Sakura, give me a cup of cherry blossom wine."

Seeing the girl's somewhat surprised expression, Yaehiko smiled and said:

"I know, you've been working on it, haven't you? The brewing time should be just right."

"I haven't drunk cherry blossom wine since that person left."

"Perhaps this is an excessive request."

"But this is the last time, Sakura."

The smile on Yae Sakura's face faded, and she slowly nodded.

Accompanied by melodious sounds, withered cherry blossoms quietly bloom in the clear wine.

As the man looked at the full porcelain cup, all the sounds in his mind gradually quieted down, and countless negative emotions were gently drawn away. It was as if he was recalling distant memories, and his face softened.