Narrative Connection
How these two moments in the story relate
Why These Connect
The narrative assertion
"Ian's discovery that Barbara was sold at auction (Ep 14) directly leads to his and Delos's attempt to rescue her in the arena (Ep 15). The earlier event establishes Ian's desperation, which fuels the rescue mission."
inferred by llm_cross_episode_arc
Why This Matters Across Episodes
The longer arc this connection carries
The emotional core of Ian's grief in Ep 14 is the catalyst for the action in Ep 15. Without his discovery about Barbara's whereabouts, the rescue attempt would not occur. This creates a cause-and-effect chain that spans the episode boundary.
About Causal Connections
A directly causes B. The first event sets forces in motion that produce the second. These are the load-bearing connections of plot--remove one and the story structure collapses.