The Era Had Not Yet Died

The girl's lips were filled with the fruity aroma of cherries. The cool liquor went down her throat, and a rich fragrance burst forth. She sipped the sweet and mellow liquor, feeling the lingering fragrance on her teeth and the refreshing purity, and exclaimed in admiration.

This cherry liqueur has a low alcohol content and a taste that's perfect for girls. Paired with the soft and delicious crust of the cherry pie and the cherry sauce inside, along with the festival-like atmosphere and the heavenly singing voice, this enjoyment is a rare treat that should bring genuine joy.

But when she glanced at the White Sparrow on the boy's head, she suddenly felt a little guilty.

While it's true that you can always pull Mind Lake via Soul Link, Xiao Xi wouldn't have any safety issues. Judging from her appearance, she was probably enjoying her snacks and didn't even realize she'd been forgotten. But to truly forget someone is, in a way, quite unfair.

She cut the remaining cherry pie on the plate into small pieces, and with a sense of repentance, asked:

Would you like some cherry pie?

The White Sparrow tilted its little head, stared curiously at the cherry sauce that was about to spill for a while, and then abandoned its comfortable nest without hesitation, flapped its wings and flew into the girl's arms, transforming into human form.

Su Muxi nestled obediently in Fu Hua's arms, looking up at her intently, which was quite adorable.

"I want to eat."

So, realizing she was in the wrong, the little girl started feeding the animals.

Su Qing'an felt no remorse. He simply watched the interaction between the two, and couldn't help but smile as he pondered why the child was so stupid.

In a sense, she's just as silly as she was when she was Little Feather.

Is this an innate trait, destined to be passed down through generations?

Why not take advantage of this last bit of time to teach her more math, cultivate a good thinking framework, and integrate the <Mathematical Olympiad Series>? That way, she won't do that silly thing where she's so engrossed in eating snacks that she forgets where she is.

Learning can change your destiny.

This is an unchanging truth since ancient times.

However, because Su Muxi could always find the corresponding answers in the records, thus blatantly cheating and being lazy, he had no choice but to create the questions himself.

From this perspective, Su Qing'an, who clearly knows Fu Hua's current mathematical level, can indirectly deduce how much nonsense this person has learned in those five thousand years.

Since this kind of knowledge is different in nature from memories and emotions, the Immortal Chi Yuan probably wasn't worried that it would be worn away during the process of Ascended State. Therefore, most of it was clearly recorded by Udu-dust, allowing Su Muxi to cheat unconditionally within certain limits.

At first, Su Qing'an, who knew nothing about this, thought she was a rare mathematical genius and, after careful consideration of the special nature of consciousness life, had no doubts.

It wasn't until he stumped the other person with a very simple junior high school geometry problem that he realized the truth.

As a result, Su Muxi was forced to lose three bags of coffee jelly and two boxes of fruit hard candy. During this time, her naturally indifferent expression began to break down, and she looked quite teary-eyed.

So...

Su Qing'an silently returned the snacks.

At this moment, the boy recalled the scene from back then and suddenly felt a little guilty, but then he also realized that it didn't matter if Xiao Xi was stupid.

Weren't you a little idiot when you were one year old?

When you were one year old, you wouldn't even eat snacks!

So let's talk about education and such after she turns three.

The girl puffed out her cheeks and chewed on a cherry pie, prompting Fu Hua to gently poke her fair face.

It's soft and can't resist yet.

Cute.

Su Muxi let the other person pinch her cheek. She swallowed the cherry pie, staring intently at the clear, ruby-red liquid floating in the glass, and asked:

"Xiao Fu, what is this?"

Fu Hua said seriously:

"This is alcohol; children can't drink it."

She tilted her head and said with some regret:

"Oh."

Fu Hua patted her head, thought for a moment and decided that it didn't need to be so strict, and said:

"But you won't get drunk anyway, so it's okay to only drink a little bit."

So the little girl happily sipped the cherry wine from her cup.

After taking a few small sips, she blinked, glanced furtively at the boy opposite her, hesitated for a moment, then pushed the cup towards him and said:

"Xiao Su, would you like some?"

Su Qing'an watched her struggle and found it somewhat amusing:

"You're willing to let me drink it?"

The girl nodded firmly.

She believed that her sister Carole was right.

Investment represents a huge leverage; short-term gains and losses are not important. What matters is having a long-term vision, seeing through the surface of facts to the underlying knowledge, seizing fleeting opportunities, and making big profits with small investments.

It may seem like you're only losing a third of a glass of cherry wine, but if you succeed, you could gain more than a dozen glasses.

"Um!"

But failure means losing everything.

Su Qing'an looked into her bright, sparkling eyes and thought to herself.

Soul Link draw upon intense emotions, and if the dominant person consciously tries to understand, they can even hear the other person's inner thoughts.

Investment studies, right? Can you solve those math olympiad problems?

The boy silently downed the glass of wine in one gulp and said in a serious tone:

Let's go see the fireworks.

Su Muxi: "?"

The investment was a huge failure.

However.

When it was time to go home, Su Qing'an still bought her a bag of snacks and a bottle of cherry wine.

The eve of the Cherry Festival passed smoothly without any disappointing incidents.

Members belonging to the Australian branch of the Moth to Fire organization are still responsible for the festival, maintaining order and ensuring that the special festival atmosphere is not ruined.

From the perspective of those in power, the more important thing about this holiday is that the Moth to Fire Warriors can get proper mental rest during it, rather than the relaxation that ordinary people get.

Based on a shift system, the Cherry Festival, a unique local festival, is passed on like a torch to most parts of the main city of Australia. This ensures that most soldiers are mobilized for their missions, and while guaranteeing safety, it also allows some soldiers to personally experience the festival and have a chance to relax.

These are the main objectives of this overall activity.

To give a simple example, take Fu Hua, Shiyu Qiluo, and Carole. These three can relax about their mission as Moth to Fire Warriors and simply enjoy themselves during the Cherry Festival.

Of course, allowing these soldiers to infiltrate the area also provides a form of protection for the civilians.

After all, even if they are temporarily relieved of their duties, it doesn't mean that the warriors of the Moth to Fire will choose to run away in the face of Honkai.

After that, the three of them entered the end of their holiday phase, and in order for the rest of the soldiers to fully enjoy the festival, they returned to being one of the gears of the giant machine, constantly turning.

It basically means the work-life balance has ended and we've entered "corporate slave mode."

The next day arrived as scheduled.

Su Qing'an and Fu Hua brought Su Muxi to the shop from yesterday.

The two men watched as the child won first place in the cherry pie eating contest, and then went on to win all sorts of similar contests until he was completely numb with it, and their feelings became complicated.

Doesn't this count as cheating and wasting food?

In the end, this child inexplicably became the Cherry Queen.

Before the sun had even set that day, she sat inside the parade float that Eden had used as a stage the day before, and thus circled the entire town along the route, attracting the attention of everyone.

The girl wasn't intimidated at all, simply eating cherries, strawberries, and various other fruits on her own. Because of her delicate features and cool demeanor, the cherry tattoo that took up half of her face wasn't an eyesore, and her well-behaved appearance only made her more endearing.

So, her behavior of only eating fruit and not looking around was attributed to shyness and did not win her any dislike from others.

Clearly, Su Muxi a very suitable mascot.

Thus, the holiday for the people is not yet over, but the holiday for the soldiers has already ended.

As Fusion Warrior and a key figure in wielding the Divine Key, Fu Hua could not be left unattended for long. She was dispatched to other regions to undertake special missions that required extremely high combat power and the Udu-dust ability to complete.

Shiyu Qiluo was assigned to the other squads to carry out the task of eliminating the Honkai Beast wave that had swept across the main city of Australia.

Following in the footsteps of most of the Moth to Fire warriors, Carole blended into the other festival locations, taking charge of guarding and monitoring them.

Less than one-seventh of the week had passed since the agreement was made.

The people the boy knew returned to their respective posts amidst the wave of Honkai.

So that we can still have such joy and laughter in the future.

Humanity still has the right to hold celebrations and festivals.

In order to safeguard this precious peace, someone always has to make a sacrifice.

Brisbane, the former site of Soul Steel Prison.

Su Qing'an sat in his empty home, leaning back on the sofa where he and Seele used to play games and watch TV together. He stared at the black screen of the television and the face reflected on it, speechless.

On the table in front of the sofa was the game box from which the two of them had completed the game together.

The boy carefully wiped away the dust with a wet wipe, his gaze slowly settling on the game's developer, and he thought to himself.

Actually, I had already memorized the company's name when Seele said she didn't like the ending.

At that moment, he thought, so what if there was never the Fourth Ending?

Even if the original ending wasn't perfect, and true happiness didn't exist.

But in the end, it's just a game.

No matter how much money you spend, getting any company to release an update or DLC is not difficult.

By then, you won't be sad anymore, right?

But it turns out, it was more than just a game.

The boy's eyes were lowered, as if they were filled with the dark, boundless night, where countless stars had fallen.

He stood there stunned for a long time, then put the game box back in the cabinet under the TV, remaining silent.

In truth, no one can forget.

The more you have nothing, the more unforgettable it becomes.

Su Qing'an thought that the [theater] set up by the Thousand Herrscher was very good.

Even looking back to that time, I still wouldn't reject those [theaters] named after operas based on the theme of storms.

People generally hope to leave something behind in this world, but those who choose selflessness to take everything to death may not necessarily like to be completely forgotten.

Just like the Herrscher of Death's last wish was not to be forgotten by Su Qing'an.

If that's all the vision she's seeking.

How could I bear not even satisfying this level of desire?

What good is unforgettable grief and heartbreak?

It should hurt so much that you can never forget it.

Along the way, Su Qing'an has seen too many people living a life of decadence and debauchery in this era, as well as too many people who see through reality and fight for it regardless of their lives. She has also witnessed the unparalleled elegance of the world's top figures.

I don't want to die in this era.

Those who died with the passing of time do not wish to be forgotten.

I won't build a Memorial Stele for Seele, but I will try my best to achieve the ending she hoped for, and I will try my best not to forget some things.

The boy picked some fresh flowers from the flowerbed outside and put them in a vase. He seemed to be in a calm sea before the storm, silently trimming them into a harmonious shape with a folding knife.

The sun was shining brightly outside.

The cicadas' chirping gradually weakened, then suddenly grew louder, as if declaring in their final moments that they were not yet dead.

This seems to be the last of this summer.

Su Qing'an placed the vase on the table, then flipped the photo frame that had been facing down onto the table and straightened it. He looked at the group photo that now held special significance, his expression serene and his eyes gentle.

This is a scene captured by an old Polaroid camera, showing the red-haired woman putting her arms around everyone's shoulders and gathering them together before the ball.

It contained Himeko, Carole, Shiyu Qiluo, Fu Hua, Seele, Lin Xinchán, and himself, as well as people he didn't know but had toasted with.

Their smiles were clear, like an oil painting that would never fade.

Most of them have died, while some are still standing on the front lines fighting against the Honkai.

Perhaps many, many years from now, this will be a forgotten portrait.

The boy's fingertips brushed across the transparent plastic covering the photograph, memorizing every face. His lips parted, and he whispered:

"This era is not dead yet."

"We will have another summer."

"Whether I have a future or not, I want this era to have a future."

Prometheus silently recorded this scene.

Whenever I return to this villa in Brisbane, it's like a stubborn machine with a set goal, continuing the task that girl secretly entrusted to me.

Su Qing'an examined his limited time, placed his diary next to the photo frame, and asked:

"Prometheus, there should be a Quantum Anchor Point nearby, right?"

"There is a Quantum Anchor Point at the nearest Australian Moth to Fire branch. Is it necessary to secure a usage license in advance?"

Su Qing'an replied:

"Okay, take me to your mainframe; I need to update the memory."

Prometheus stated:

"Mr. Su, less than a week has passed since the last memory update. Updating the imprint will cause some adverse reactions."

The boy stroked the crimson Crimson Pearl on the hilt of the sword and whispered:

"I have the Black Abyss White Flower, it won't affect future genetic modification, thank you."

Prometheus:

"... License has been granted. Please arrive at the appropriate Quantum Anchor Point within two hours."

Brisbane is not far from the branch.

If one unfolds their complete Soul State, they can arrive in an instant.

But driving the [Thousand Stars] at its own speed isn't slow either.

Furthermore, the Crimson Pearl on the hilt of the sword, being a product of the power of Thousand Herrscher, can even serve as a tool for combining two [Thousand Stars], making the efficiency of travel even more extraordinary.

However, he could still use the cumbersome and inefficient combination of [Thousand Stars] at will, but it was just more convenient to use this Crimson Pearl.

Therefore, Su Qing'an had actually considered giving the Crimson Pearl to someone else.

This artifact, which contains some of his skills, would be far more useful to either Fu Hua or Kevin than to keep it himself.

However, considering that Kevin's output relies more on the Judgment of Shamash than anything else, the Honkai Energy techniques he is given are not as good as those he can slowly hone himself.

So after much deliberation, the only options were to either give it to Fu Hua or simply hand it over to the Moth to Fire division for the organization to distribute as it saw fit.

Personally, I would definitely choose the former.

Previously, Su Qing'an had not given much thought to the ultimate fate of this Crimson Pearl.

But now, it has come to have a certain significance in achieving its own goals.

After spending ten minutes arriving near the Moth to Fire branch, the boy did not choose to leave directly through the quantum portal. Instead, he went straight into an ice cream shop and ordered a plate of blackberry crispy yogurt, sweet and salty caramel chocolate farfalle, ice cream sandwiches and waffle cones, as well as an extra-large strawberry sundae.

Su Muxi sat opposite him, her eyes fixed on the dessert on the table, which glittered and sparkled. She tilted her head up and asked:

"Little Su is a good person, just like Sister Carole."

Su Qing'an looked at her features, which resembled his own, removed the Crimson Pearl from the hilt of his sword, gestured for her to take it, and smiled, saying:

"Take this bead to Hua later and remember to have her put it on [Spring Void Roll]."

The little girl nodded earnestly to show that she had heard, but instead of immediately eating the mouthwatering desserts, she looked at the person's expression with a slightly dazed and bewildered look.

Why can't I sense Xiao Su's emotions right now?

It was like an incomparably tranquil and vast sea, existing there without being concealed or having its connection severed, yet one could still only sense its tender gentleness and profound power.

The boy half-squatted beside her, stroked her silky hair, and whispered:

"You must listen to Hua, understand?"

Su Muxi asked:

"Can't you come back?"

Su Qing'an pinched the tender cheek, paused, and seemed surprised that she would ask such a question.

Perhaps I treated her too much like a real child, or perhaps a child's intuition is often illogical.

He only intended to use a table full of desserts to lure the little guy away unknowingly, then seal the Soul Link, and shut down the Mind Lake forever.

But things rarely go as planned.

He replied:

"They will come back."

She said softly:

"Yes, I believe in Xiao Su."

The conversation has ended.

Su Qing'an watched as the girl quietly finished her Christmas drink.

She gazed into her own eyes, and there remained the desserts, which vanished into nothingness...