"..." Tinwood listened to Richard's perfectly reasoned words and found himself unable to refute them. Several seconds passed before he could not help saying, "Why do I feel like you're deceiving me?"
"No." Richard shook his head and said with great sincerity, "Everything I said is serious. It all follows the rules. I haven't deceived you."
"But—" Tinwood still found it hard to accept. Suddenly thinking of something, he cried out, "Right, I remembered something! You said that my escape caused damage to your property, so you're making me work for you as compensation, correct?"
"Correct." Richard nodded.
"Then how are you going to account for the damage you caused to my property?" Tinwood's momentum grew stronger.
"Your property?" Richard asked.
"Yes, my property." Tinwood raised his voice. "My property in the Barren Forest—the trees and animals were all mine! You shameless invaders trespassed into my territory, killed countless animals in the forest, burned nearly all the plants with fire, and finally captured me.
If the loss of your property requires me to work for you for a hundred years to repay it, then even making you work for me for ten thousand years would not be enough to compensate for the loss of my property!"
Hearing Tinwood's words, Richard immediately recalled the time when he and the people from the Truth Society had carried out their mission in the Barren Forest. Come to think of it, he had been the one to suggest setting the forest ablaze to force out Tinwood's true body. It really was reasonable for Tinwood to demand compensation from him.
But whether it was reasonable was one matter. Whether Tinwood could actually get it was another.
Richard looked at Tinwood and said calmly, "I do not deny what you said. However, several points need to