"Because it's interesting."
Mentor looked down at the two small animals, smiling very comfortably. "Players are immortal, and with you two here, what do I have to worry about?"
Nol was somewhat surprised. "Mentor" was the eldest of the three Player leaders, yet his reason turned out to be… simple.
"Dorothy told me before, but I had guessed a bit about the situation in Paradise." Mentor stood with his hands behind his back, leisurely basking in the moonlight.
"I'm different from the one inside—I show up in person, which means I'm ready to explain everything. Ask whatever you want, gentlemen."
Teest: "Explain everything? It sounds too good to be true, like someone handing out gold wheels on the streets."
"Think of it as pure goodwill. 'Hermitage' was originally a temporary organization providing information for Players. Most people think about going home, so it's hard to do long-term business," Mentor shrugged.
Nol suddenly felt a subtle nuance.
This man's attitude towards Tahe, and his choice of words…
"You said 'most people think about going home'." The little black dragon flew up, looking directly into Mentor's smiling eyes. "'Most people'?"
"Yes, even if you find a way back, I wouldn't choose to go back." Mentor spread his arms wide, feeling the icy night wind. "I am destined to stay here."
[No wonder.]
Teest meowed in Nol's mind, and his tail stiffened like a flagpole. ["Pure goodwill"? Once your compatriots can go back, the Saints, Amazon, and Hermitage will dissolve on the spot. The only things more likely to continue in this world are Paradise and—]
[Demon Players.] Nol completed Teest's thought.
Even if the way back was opened, the residents of Paradise still faced the problem of "returning to their original state". Moreover, there were indigenous members like the succubi and Sheepskin Ball villagers in the current Paradise. Indeed, they wouldn't disappear.
Demon Players were easier to understand. Compared to returning to Earth to be imprisoned, most would prefer to stay in Tahe causing trouble.
If Mentor wanted to stay in Tahe, it indeed made more sense to get close to Paradise early on, rather than dealing with a group of scattered Demon Players.
It was understandable, but Nol still had doubts.
If Mentor was a young adult, having the idea of "staying in another world" would be quite understandable. But at his age, wanting to stay in Tahe was almost certainly due to physical reasons—several elderly neighbors in Paradise had expressed "not wanting to go back", preferring to be monsters rather than lying in bed suffering from illness every day.
However, if Players were officially invited by the "Tahe" production team, this situation wouldn't occur. The first batch of Players was very important, definitely subject to age restrictions and health investigations.
"Sorry, I'm asking directly," Nol said. "Are you from 'Three Forks Road Village'?"
Mentor laughed. "Very astute."
Nol instinctively took a step back. Teest's fur stood up, making the cat appear much larger. He couldn't help but snort at Mentor.
The Mad Monk's killing intent was theoretically very terrifying, Nol couldn't help but look at the puffed-up Teest for a few seconds. Somehow, Teest now probably couldn't scare anyone, and just looked more pettable.
No, Nol forced his gaze away, trying to focus.
"Mentor" was a Demon Player.
Now, such Players weren't frightening to the two of them, but since Players possessed immortality, they could be quite troublesome to deal with. Just like humans and cockroaches, no one enjoyed dealing with endless generations of cockroach nests.
Mentor found a stump and calmly sat down. "My novice village was 'Crossroads'. Purely by birth, I suppose I'm considered part of the dark forces here."
Nol: "Do others know?"
"Only Dorothy knows. Ash is too straightforward. For some things, if speaking them only brings harm, then it's better left unsaid." Mentor said, "Just like Dorothy simply contacted me by letter, instead of using a loudspeaker to proclaim 'this world is real'—this point, the people of Paradise surely understand better than us."
Teest remained puffy for a long while, suddenly realizing the crux of the matter. He deflated his fur and sat a step away from Mentor. "But regarding you personally, we need a more detailed explanation."
"Pancreatic cancer," Mentor said nonchalantly.
"My wife and I divorced early, and my son works abroad. I didn't tell them and only planned for conservative treatment. Then, while picking up my medication, I was recommended 'to test a new game'. Thinking I didn't have long to live, I decided to try something new."
He then turned to Nol. "I don't remember the face of that person, nor how I entered the game. But I could tell something was wrong. The 'Players' around me were no good. So, I acted a bit, finding an excuse to leave 'Crossroads' early."
"Afterwards, I accidentally met my student and gradually formed 'Hermitage'. What you probably want to ask about is this. Honestly, the process wasn't thrilling."
He wanted to ask more than that, Nol thought. A multitude of questions piled up at the tip of his tongue, but what came out was—
"Why didn't you tell your family about your illness?"
Mentor stopped for a moment, slightly surprised. His expression became a bit complex. "Not all family relationships are 'close'. My wife and I got married 'when it was time to marry' and had children 'when it was time to have children'."
"Sometimes people need to be realistic." When he said this, his face showed a bit of self-mockery.
Nol was silent.
According to what he heard from Anakin and others, "Mentor" was a quite famous university professor. The man had a prestigious reputation, a high income, and successful children.
He thought Mentor became the leader of the Hermitage because he was eager to return, but now it sounded like Mentor had no attachment to Earth.
"So that's how it is. Interesting."
Teest circled around Mentor once more, not sure if he was attempting a fur attack. "'Three Forked Road Village' houses those knowledgeable about games and wanting to go home. 'Crossroads' houses those with real-world skills, desperate to stay. These two types of people are more proactive about 'getting stronger' and 'exploring', just not convenient to put together." He summarized. "Honey, this is an army meticulously selected by Star Stealer Sol."
Two special armies to fight the "Demon King".
Thinking about it, it indeed seemed so, Nol thought. If someone random from the street were brought here and they knew nothing about games, they might give up early. But if it was someone proficient in games, they definitely wouldn't give up on clearing the game.
And compared to law-abiding citizens, criminals were more likely to accept war and violence, thriving in this "kill to get stronger" world.
"Mentor", a terminally ill patient, might be a minority. If he was brought here, it was highly likely because of his outstanding ability.
"I also think we're 'two armies', simply deceived into coming here as labor."
As Nol pondered, Mentor looked down at the big white cat, continuing to narrate. "But the existence of 'Paradise' is subtle. If you're also an anticipated 'army', the design logic is vastly different."
"The system didn't specifically favor you, yet you were the first to eliminate the ancient Demon King. But towards the three major guilds and Demon Players, you maintain a certain distance. It's quite interesting. I'm looking forward to this cooperation."
"Is that so? You're just working hard because you're dissatisfied with being 'deceived into coming here as labor'?"
Teest coldly flicked his tail. "Since you just want to live well, there's no need to wade into these muddy waters, much less get involved with Paradise. With your talent, you could easily find a place to live."
Mentor laughed again, once more looking up at the four moons in the sky.
"Before, I strictly followed 'what I should do', and many envied my life. But in the end, I found it very uninteresting."
"Now I'm more interested in adventuring, such as solving this…"
He pointed to the four moons in the sky. "This phenomenon completely defies the laws of physics. Just looking at it makes one uneasy."
Hearing such a refreshingly unconventional reason for adventure, even Teest fell silent.
More terrifyingly, this person seemed genuinely sincere.
Nol: "..."
He thought they finally had a relatively mentally normal teammate. It seemed that Star Stealer Sol's judgment wasn't unreasonable for throwing Mr. Mentor into 'Crossroads'.
However, Mentor indeed provided him with a lot of inspiration.
Now, Nol could confirm, Star Stealer Sol had the means to interfere with Earth, even directly abducting people from Earth.
As for the memories of veteran players participating in tests, the memories of criminals being invited… Maybe it couldn't truly "domesticate" everyone, but inserting a small, harmless piece of vague memory didn't seem difficult.
Not to mention Star Stealer Sol, who had been hiding its light for over two hundred years, but even the current Nol could do something similar.
"How do you view this world?" Nol continued dryly. Abnormal teammate or not, he still had to ask.
"An imitation of Earth," Mentor answered with utmost certainty.
Nol was taken aback. "…An imitation?"
"The sun is similar to ours but not the same one. The other satellites don't match, nor do the stars. But in terms of physical conditions, this place is completely identical to Earth."
The stars reflected in Mentor's glasses. "It's like someone copied another Earth in a suitable location."
"What an incredible amount of work," Teest murmured.
"No, actually, this is the only explanation." Mentor shook his head. "The ecology and life here can be seen as modified from Earth. In fact, with just a slight difference in physical constants, the planetary conditions would be completely different, and a similar environment couldn't be sustained."
"Unless this planet's natural environment is completely identical to Earth, and the path of biological evolution is highly similar, coincidentally giving birth to a very similar civilization… Personally, I don't believe it's a coincidence."
"So those four moons are particularly unnatural." Mentor sighed again, sounding quite perturbed.
Nol looked down at his shiny black claws.
Dragons, his favorite fantasy creature. Based on bats, lizards, and some reptiles.
As the creator of this world, Nol probably knew what was going on. Whether it was himself or the three predecessors who once existed. When creating, they would definitely use "Earth's ecology" as the subconscious blueprint.
What is a dog, what is a cat, what is grass, what is a tree.
How many noses and eyes do humans have?
Apples will fall to the ground.
Few people would deliberately reset these common senses in creation. Even if there were modifications, they were surely based on existing things. After all, it was normal for a person to be unable to imagine something they had never seen before.
Their stories were based on their homeland, a place that had successfully nurtured many civilizations.
Could it be that Star Stealer Sol used them just to get a relatively stable world?
Thinking along these lines, the three destroyed worlds, the three creators who became the ancient Demon King… They didn't mention Star Stealer Sol's direct intervention, and Lynn didn't find related records in the ruins.
But in their own created world of Tahe, Star Stealer Sol actively participated in person, using the "system" to bring in Players, attempting to clear the remnants of the creators. Recently, that guy even appeared in person, indirectly asking him to sacrifice himself, promising that Tahe would remain unharmed.
Nol pressed his temples. This situation was very familiar, exactly like…
Exactly like someone had stolen an account to their liking, ready to officially take over, thus beginning to erase all traces of the previous owner.
But this still didn't explain why he and his neighbors were here or why he was in this condition.
…There wasn't enough information.
Nol lowered his head, suddenly wanting to sigh. He felt like he was touching the edge of something, but still, a thick fog of mystery blocked the way.
"You seem to firmly believe this is reality."
Beside him, Teest was still interacting with Mentor. Having experienced Star Stealer Sol's divine intervention on the spot, his cat knight was very wary of this new member.
Mentor smiled meaningfully. "When I was on Earth, I was never allergic to cat fur."
Teest: "..."
[Let's go back, Teest.] Nol humorously transmitted his thoughts. [This person should be fine.]
If Mentor had issues, he wouldn't have given him so many hints. Perhaps this esteemed predecessor just had a quirky personality. They had encountered quite a few people like that along the way.
[I know he's fine,] Teest responded helplessly. [I just… never mind.]
[Don't "never mind".] The current Nol was very cautious about every little sign. [Don't worry. Just say whatever.]
Teest's tail slowly drooped as he turned his round eyes. [I have a bad feeling, but I'm not sure where it's coming from.]
[…Just intuition for now.]
[That's also worth considering. Let's go back. I need to discuss my hunch.]
Nol said, unable to help but follow Mentor's gaze, looking up at the sky.
The four bright moons hung in the night sky were almost beautiful.
...
A few days later, Inato, Rosemary Port.
A man in his fifties approached the harbor, dressed in a refined suit, waving a gemstone cane. He was followed by a muscular bodyguard. The bodyguard seemed to be blind in one eye, wearing a black eye patch.
The bodyguard carried a suitcase in his right hand and a large birdcage covered with black velvet cloth in his left, with a sleek white cat perched on his right shoulder. The cat held its head high while its golden eyes surveyed the passing pedestrians.
"John Doe, a rare pet merchant?"
The ticket inspector looked at the name on the ticket and the accompanying ID.
Mentor twirled his fake mustache, revealing a smile.
"Yes, sir."