Published at 26th of July 2026 10:24 am

Chapter 3042: On Motive

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Angel and Kaier seem to have understood how Dox operates.

The more they understand, the more they lament that this is entirely a unique operation of Dox, a miracle that cannot be replicated.

They want to delve deeper but don’t know where to begin.

After a moment of contemplation, they can only temporarily put aside this baffling situation.

"Earth Cavern Arena?" Kaier: "I remember that mole mentioning this name... Is that a game name too? Does it mean its real body is in the Earth Cavern Arena?"

Angel nods: "Seems like it."

Previously, they saw many game names from the eye of the face pattern, all combining place names and game methods. Earth Cavern Arena seems to be one such combination.

The location is the unknown Earth Cavern.

The game method is an arena battle.

Since the opponent clearly said they await in the arena, the Earth Cavern Arena should be the final game project of Paradise Land.

"According to the normal game process, players are expected to complete various challenges in different ways before reaching the Land of the End ’Earth Cavern Arena’, and the arena master is the Space Mage. Winning against it counts as passing the game, allowing one to leave Paradise Land."

Dox: "What you say about the process, you’re just speculating, right?"

Angel nods.

Dox mutters: "Clearly it’s speculation, but why does it feel so real to me?"

Kaier also nods continuously beside him, feeling that Angel’s guess might just be the truth. But... if the truth is such, what is the opponent’s purpose?

Just letting others enter the game they’ve created to play around and then it’s over?

What’s the point?

Angel: "Why must there be a point? What if the mage’s purpose is just to let people in Paradise Land play a game?"

Dox pondered for a moment, then shook his head slowly: "I don’t get what you mean."

Such a large setup just for a game? Without any other purpose? This is beyond Dox’s imagination.

In Dox’s world, actions driven by interests, or even those that persist despite interest loss, must have a purpose.

Paradise Land’s game falls into this category, occupying both sides.

Setting up this game surely costs a vast amount of time and money. At the same time, forcefully altering Paradise Land’s geographical environment is a provocation to Elysium Pavillion.

In essence, the opponent invested a large amount of interest, even possibly inviting hatred, just to complete this game. Without any other purpose, it makes no sense.

Angel: "I agree with you on this: even actions causing interest loss have a purpose."

"However, the ’purpose’ you perceive and imagine must align with equivalent exchange of interests, thus you believe interests inevitably lead to benefits, and those benefits are visible, which are considered the purpose."

"But have you considered this? What if the opponent’s purpose isn’t based on traces, but on heart?"

Angel’s words were a bit abstract. Dox could somewhat understand the meaning, but trying to immediately apply it to the current situation left him unsure where to exert force.

Angel didn’t let Dox ponder alone but continued to present his ideas.

This time, Angel didn’t speak to Dox but looked at the perplexed Kaier beside him.

"Suppose you, Kaier, are a player drawn into this game, what would you think of this series of games?"

Kaier didn’t understand Angel’s intention but thought for a moment, placing himself in the player’s perspective to view this game.

After a while, Kaier slowly spoke: "At first, I would probably be like Benson, shocked by the sudden changes."

"Upon knowing about the game, I might feel a bit curious? But after discovering forced entry into the game, I would surely feel fear and resistance."

"Facing various magic monsters in the game, I would be cautious, worrying whilst advancing cautiously."

Kaier’s answer satisfied Angel, who nodded and began proactively helping Kaier build a heart illusion: "You’ve cleared one game now, and the face pattern tells you that clearing one more game gives you a chance to leave. What would you think then?"

Under the influence of the heart illusion, Kaier felt as if he were truly immersed in the game: "I would probably feel stifled, but there’d be a little anticipation. If clearing another game truly allows escape, I would give my all."

Angel: "Alright, now you’ve entered the next game, and the face pattern tells you it’s called - Ruins Exploration."

Kaier’s eyes suddenly brighten upon hearing the word "ruins."

Angel also noticed Kaier’s suddenly positive mood and chuckled internally, continuing: "The rule is to pass through various methods to decode words and stages in the ruins, ultimately achieving the goal of leaving."

Angel didn’t continue, leaving time for Kaier, who followed Angel’s words: "I would be happy, right? After all, my research into ruins is deep, and even if I don’t decipher the ruins ultimately, I’d feel somewhat disappointed but not regretful."

Kaier’s answer was anticipated by both Angel and Dox.

However, Dox still didn’t understand what Angel intended with this setup.

Angel: "You don’t need to feel regretful because you’ve cleared the game."

Kaier paused: "Cleared it? Then... I should be happy, right."

Deciphering ruins is itself a joyous matter for him. Unlocking the ruins amplifies this joy several times!

Moreover, he could leave Paradise Land after unlocking the ruins, a double win! So why wouldn’t he be happy?

However, at this moment, Angel spoke again: "As you’re about to celebrate escaping Paradise Land, the face pattern reappears before you, informing that clearing two games is just a premise to leave; to truly leave, the final game - the Cave Arena - must be completed."

"Only by defeating the arena master can you leave Paradise Land."

"The face pattern assures you this is the last game. You’re furious but have no choice but to participate."

"Ultimately, you enter the Cave Arena. Then, you see standing on the arena an official Space Mage."

Imagining the scene Angel depicted, Kaier feels shivers all over: "I don’t know how I’d react in such a situation... But probably desperate."

Angel nods, snaps his fingers, removing the heart illusion surrounding Kaier: "Okay, Kaier’s fictional story ends here."

Then, Angel looks at Dox: "Now imagine it’s you, as the final arena master, seeing Kaier; what would you think?"

Dox rubs his stubbly chin: "What would I think? Not much, bullying an apprentice as an official mage, what’s the point? At most I’d find it amusing seeing Kaier emotionally collapsing, full of despair."

After finishing, Dox seems to realize something, looking at Angel: "Not tracing but judging by heart. Are you saying the opponent seeks... amusement?"

Angel: "Why not?"

Dox furrows his brow: "How is that possible? Who would be so bored?"

```

Angel: "What if such a person really exists?"

Dox: "Even if such a person exists, they would be very rare."

Angel didn’t respond to Dox’s rebuttal; instead, Kaier, standing to the side, showed a hint of surprise on his face. After hesitating for a moment, he softly said, "Lord Chaowei, the person you mentioned wouldn’t happen to be..."

Kaier didn’t say the name, but looked at Angel with a questioning gaze.

Angel smiled but remained silent.

Dox looked bewilderedly at Kaier, then at Angel: "What are you guys talking about? I’m getting more and more confused."

Kaier hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "It’s like this, earlier I went to the Starry District with the lord."

Dox was aware of this.

At that time, Angel used the pretext of researching the mirror to leave the Underground Aqueduct first. As the intermediary between both parties, Kaier left with Angel.

Later, when Kaier met up with Dox, he told him about being led to the Starry District by an Elemental Sprite after leaving with Angel.

Kaier: "In the Starry District, the first person we met was a witch named Sharon."

Kaier detailed the encounter with the witch Sharon.

"Based on the conversation details and the information Buru provided, this witch Sharon should be a very troublesome wizard in the Starry District."

"At the time, Lord Chaowei even said, Sharon the witch is a..."

"Fun person."

Although it was the first time Dox heard the term ’fun person’, it wasn’t hard to understand in the Universal Language of the continent.

So-called fun people are those who delight in watching chaos, seeing it as their life’s purpose.

If the Space Mage behind Paradise Land is also a fun person, or rather, if she is Sharon the witch, then Angel’s statement ’judge by intention, not by trace’ is logical.

The game of Paradise Land they created is not meant for people to clear, but to watch them struggle within it.

To give you fear, grant you hope, then finally reveal the truth.

And the truth is despair.

This is precisely the kind of screenplay that fun people love to watch, a future entirely orchestrated by their hands.

"So, the one behind it is Sharon the witch?" Dox said in a low voice.

Angel: "I don’t know, it’s just a guess. Whether or not it is Sharon the witch, we can’t be sure yet."

There are quite a few fun people.

Sometimes, even Angel has tendencies of a fun person. But he has a limit, a joking limit.

Such bottomless fun people are rare.

And earlier, although he had only met Sharon the witch once, the fact that she doesn’t even spare strangers means her limits exceed those of ordinary fun people.

Moreover, based on the previous information, the attackers came from the Starry District.

Angel naturally associated it with Sharon the witch.

However, despite the association, Angel couldn’t be 100% certain if it was true.

Dox: "We’ll know if it’s her after we go and take a look."

Dox paused, adopting a mysterious expression, and spoke in a low voice: "Did that little mole think I did nothing after noticing it? That’s impossible, I’ve memorized its Divine Thought aura."

"If that mole is Sharon the witch, then we can follow the aura to find her now!"

After saying this, Dox looked at Angel.

Angel: "Did you forget the purpose of our visit... Our goal is not that mole, there’s no need to provoke it."

After all, the other party is a Space Mage, which is one of the most powerful types on the Mysterious Side. If they also happen to have a legacy, it wouldn’t be wise to provoke them.

"Of course, if the avatar of Speedy is there, then just pretend I didn’t say anything."

...

After speaking with Speedy, coupled with Dox’s positioning, they ultimately discovered... it really was a coincidence.

The avatar of Speedy and Dox’s positioning were exactly in the same direction.

Both were directed towards the north and downward.

If the place Dox pinpointed is the venue for the "Earth Cavern Arena", does that mean Speedy’s avatar is also there?

If Speedy’s avatar is at the Earth Cavern Arena, and has likely been detected by the other party.

Thinking about this, Angel suddenly felt a bit of a headache... If the other party knows their purpose and uses Speedy’s avatar as a threat, would they really have to fight the other party in the arena?

If it really comes to a fight, neither Angel nor Dox would be afraid.

But the premise is, they cannot enter the opponent’s contract rules.

Yet now it seems that any confrontation with the other party would inevitably pull them into the rules. This put Angel in a bit of a difficult position.

"Don’t overthink it, let’s go and check it out first." Dox remained optimistic.

Angel glanced at Dox and nodded: "Alright."

Although it was unclear whether his inspiration came into play, Dox’s optimistic demeanor at least indicated that there wasn’t any particularly disastrous end facing them immediately.

So, Angel decided to take a look first.

Of course, Dox had no idea that Angel had already considered him to be a walking luck gauge. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t care.

At the very least, it showed... he was useful.

The greater his value, the more benefits he could potentially reap from Angel in the future.

Dox cheerfully led the way forward.

They weren’t following the "solve the maze" directions at all, but rather just followed the guidance forwards. If the road was blocked, they’d simply pass through walls.

For Benson, the space traps within the walls were terrifying, and he dared not pass through them recklessly. But for Angel, once he was aware of these traps, avoiding or breaking them was quite simple.

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