Chapter 228

"But they discovered us, the ones who fell, right?"

"By the way, how are Mei and Theresa doing?"

The villagers must have been looking up at the sky, watching them fall and hit the ground with a thud. Then they called Yae Sakura over to check on them. Yae Sakura saw that it was three people who had fallen, so she took the three of them back to the village.

They should all be housed at the Yae Shrine in Yae Village.

As for the villagers...

Saber didn't care much about these villagers; Saber didn't expect them to do anything earth-shattering. This era and this world were too unfriendly to those without power.

The danger outside the village is not just a matter of a few wild animals.

If they encounter Honkai Beast, then all those villagers will be for nothing.

The villagers were powerless under the suppression of force.

Saber didn't rely on the villagers, and she also knew that if Yae Sakura was willing to let them stay in Yae Village, the villagers' opposition would be useless.

Judging from the current situation, Yae Sakura has probably let Mei and Theresa stay.

As for where it is.

Oh, you mean those two people?

Yae Sakura probably knows who Saber is talking about.

"They're in the room next to yours," Yae Sakura said. "I haven't seen them yet, but I reckon they haven't woken up yet."

"But are you stars in the sky? Or immortals?"

"It actually fell from the sky."

"If you really are immortals," Yae Sakura seemed to plead, "Could it rain?"

"It hasn't rained in Yae Village for a long time."

'Rain?' Saber frowned; she suddenly realized something was wrong.

Rain?

Is there a rain scene in the Yae Village storyline?

When Kallen arrived, there was a rainmaking ritual.

No...

That shouldn't be the plot, right?

Could it be...

It's ahead of schedule?

Chapter 260 What kind of holy place is this?

"It actually turned out like this."

With his arms crossed, the Saber said in a serious tone, "This is something I never expected."

Mei and Theresa have been found, but Yae Sakura had to leave because of the village's Sacrifice Ritual. Now, only the three of them remain in the small house.

Saber immediately convened a brief meeting to discuss what to do next.

Although she didn't expect Mei and Theresa to offer any constructive advice.

But at least discussing it might give us some ideas on how to deal with the current situation.

"It seems we arrived before Yae Sakura and Kallen met," Mei said. "I tried asking Yae Sakura about Kallen."

"She seemed to know nothing about Kallen or the Eastern Expedition that took place in this era."

"And Yae Sakura actually has a younger sister," Theresa said in surprise. "That's quite an unexpected bonus."

"Yae Sakura certainly has a younger sister, and her sister is the focus of her emotional trauma." This time it was Saber's turn to be surprised and say, "You didn't know that?"

"I remember this was mentioned in 'Kallen Fantasy'."

"Huh? Was this mentioned?" Theresa said, even more surprised. "I didn't notice at all."

"..." Saber was slightly speechless. She... she suddenly felt that Theresa's game was similar to her own?

"So what are you playing?"

"The special effects are great, the gameplay is smooth, and it's a lot of fun to fight," Theresa said, counting on her fingers. "The characters are also well done, and the open world lets you wander around anywhere."

"Well, that's about it."

"Ah...this..." Saber kowtowed.

This is really not something to criticize; there are quite a few people who only play the game and don't pay attention to the story. Not all players will engage with the story, especially in open-world games.

For example, a certain "Hyrule Old Rogue".

Many players come here to farm Centaurs and Guardians, and what they look forward to most is the Red Moon.

As for rescuing the princess?

Hmm, who is the princess?

"Looks like I need to give a little background information," said the Saber. "It's about this now."

Although I don't know it in great depth myself.

Let me put it this way.

Saber said, "The era we are in now is a period very far in advance of Kallen's time."

"Yae Sakura herself has a younger sister named Yae Rin," Saber explained. "But there is no particular record of Yae Rin in history."

"There are two main reasons why her name has been passed down, one of which is her older sister Yae Sakura."

"Another reason is that she was a sacrifice in the rain-seeking ceremony of Yae Village."

"A sacrifice?!" Mei and Theresa's faces fell quickly.

As someone from Area 11, Mei has some knowledge of her country's history. Of course, she knows exactly what the offerings are for.

However, the practice of offering sacrifices, including human Sacrifice Ritual, is not unique to Area 11.

The same applies to the Western world.

Theresa naturally knew some of it as well.

"Is it that kind of Sacrifice Ritual?" Theresa was still a little reluctant to believe it. "Is it really that kind of sacrifice?"

"Of course." Saber nodded and said, "It seems I know why you can never achieve a happy ending in your dreams."

"Theresa, this is the real Yae Sakura's heart."

"You could say this is the root of all evil."

With his arms crossed, the Saber said, "Drought has occurred during this period. Since it's not raining, the villagers hope to appease the gods through Sacrifice Ritual so that they will receive rain."

"Sacrifice Ritual is necessary for a ritual, Yae Sakura's younger sister Yae Rin, was chosen as that sacrifice."

"Yae Sakura definitely won't be happy about that, right?" Mei said, a little uncertainly.

Mei wasn't entirely sure, because the thoughts of people in this era cannot be judged by later standards. What seems extremely inhumane and incomprehensible to people in later generations might be considered an honor, a right, or even a necessity by people of that time.

Of course, even in the same era, under a huge trend, there will always be people who go against the tide.

Whether this counter-current is correct or what the original intention was is hard to say.

Yae Sakura is clearly the one who goes against the tide.

"I'm not willing." Saber said with her arms crossed, "Yae Sakura doesn't want her sister to become a sacrifice. So she planned an escape."

"The outcome was naturally unsuccessful. Yae Rin did not escape but instead had her Achilles tendons severed by the Chief Priest."

"In the end, during the Sacrifice Ritual, Yae Sakura killed her sister with her own hands."

"The Sacrifice Ritual ceremony is complete."

"Although the Sacrifice Ritual ceremony was completed," Saber continued, "She also came to hate the villagers here and became a puppet called a 'Miko' who carried out the work of 'guarding'."

"That's why she was later bewitched by the Demon in the Box."

"So that means," Theresa said, as if she had thought of a solution, "That if we can save Yae Rin, then it will be fine?"

"That's how it is in theory," said Saber, "But in reality, it might be much more complicated than we imagine."

"First of all, there's Yae Sakura's attitude." Saber frowned and said, "Yae Sakura who later appeared to protect the villagers but actually hated them."

"She must have truly accepted her position from the bottom of her heart and genuinely wanted to protect the villagers."

As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the deeper the hate! The more she values her position and the more willing she is to fight to the death to protect it, the more insane her hatred will become.

But this also brings up a problem.

"Yae Sakura will definitely not allow us to harm the villagers," Saber said, "Including this Chief Priest."

"And Yae Sakura would certainly not allow her sister to become a sacrifice."

"But the villagers need to perform Sacrifice Ritual, so they need an offering."

"So?" Mei seemed to understand what Saber meant and said, "We need a way to complete the Sacrifice Ritual without harming the villagers or Rin?"

"Theoretically, yes," Saber said, "If we want a happy ending."

"Ideally, all conditions should be met."

"So you're saying it's really difficult?" Theresa was a little tearful. Although she didn't fully understand where the most difficult part of this matter lay, she still knew it was difficult.

"Yes, because we're stuck in a vicious cycle," said Saber.

"Of course, this vicious cycle isn't without a way out," said Saber. "Actually, the biggest breakthrough lies in rainfall."

"If we could make God make it rain, then we could automatically load a happy ending."

"But that's impossible."

"So..." Saber said, stroking his chin, "Shouldn't we take a step back?"

"Entering a semi-happy ending."

Chapter 261 That Man

"May I ask where our distinguished guest comes from?"

The one asking the question was that man.

Chief Priest.

The woman sitting opposite the Chief Priest is that woman.

The Saber.

'This guy...' The Saber wore a professional smile. He didn't show any disgust for the Chief Priest, but he didn't immediately answer the Chief Priest's question.

What is the relationship between Chief Priest and a shrine?

The Chief Priest is usually the de facto owner of the shrine.

Miko are usually part-time workers at shrines.

Miko is not necessarily related to the Chief Priest of the shrine by blood, and the profession of Miko itself is divided into different categories. It's like being a software engineer; you might be a computer engineer, commonly known as a programmer, while she might be a mechanical engineer, commonly known as... well. Anyway, even though they are all Miko, there are distinctions.

Some Miko work as cleaners and receptionists, while Miko are responsible for internal shrine affairs, handling personnel and logistics.

Some Miko perform Sacrifice Ritual and other activities.

Characters like Yae Sakura and Yae Rin are shrine Miko who perform Sacrifice Ritual.

As for whether Yae Sakura and Yae Rin are directly related to the Chief Priest.

Saber didn't think so.

Neither Yae Sakura nor Yae Rin mentioned their origins, nor did the Chief Priest reveal their backgrounds. However, Saber didn't believe that the Chief Priest would sacrifice his own daughters.

Because bystanders are not necessarily clear-headed, and those directly involved are not necessarily confused.

On the contrary, those in power are sometimes very clear about the situation, while bystanders may not.