Everything seemed to be going as the masked man had said, and every sudden accident confirmed the credibility of the mysterious man. You know, it is possible to create and predict one or two accidents, but it is not enough to describe the existence of a few hundred people in a town as a few treasures, in the eyes of ordinary people, it may not be enough to describe it as a "prophet". Mayor Bender gradually believed the masked man's words, and even saved some of the tragedies that should have happened based on the information he gave. By the fourth week, the mayor of the town had begun to change from utter disbelief to uncertainty about the plague that "Mr. Smiling" had been talking about. The Masked Man's ability to foresee is unquestionable, but what he says is not always true. So, is this terrible catastrophe a lie by the other side trying to cheat the other side for profit, or is it a real warning from the prophet. Mayor Bender had to think about it all day and all night.

When "Mr. Smiling" appeared in front of the mayor for the fourth time, Bender was ready to approve of him. This time, however, the masked man regretted that because of the mayor's suspicion and sluggishness, the strength of the four children who had sacrificed their lives for the town was not enough to keep him any longer, and his appearance would not last long. When Mayor Bender heard this, he panicked, and the tentative words he had planned were put aside, and he quickly asked the masked man how he could save the county from the plague.

"Let me guess what he said to you. At this point, Cheese interrupted the mayor's narration and continued.

"I think that 'Mr. Smile' must have told you that the fall of the county was inevitable, but he had a way of keeping Sweetwater out of the way. Right?"

Mayor Mare nodded, agreeing with the mage's words.

"But I think he must have said that because of the complexity of protecting Sweetwater, it's too late for him to show up. So if you want to know this method, you'll have to pay the price again and extend his time, right?"

Mayor Mare nodded again.

"What, did you sacrifice another child because of his words?" the proprietress had already stood up when she heard this, if the death of the previous four children should be counted on the head of the devil, but this fifth child was sent by the mayor himself.

The mayor shook his head when he heard this, but before he could say anything, Cheese had already pressed the proprietress down.

"How is it possible, although a child's soul is tempting, but the devil will not let Mr. Mayor, the big fish that has already bitten the hook, have any chance to hesitate. So I think he must have come up with something more 'cheap' alternative. ”

"Yes, the man said that the reason why I needed the children's lives before was because it was for him to force his presence in front of me. If I had invited him myself, the cost of summoning would have been much less. Mayor Bender said.

He is not lying, the devil is rejected by the bright side of the world, and cannot enter the world himself. But if someone invites them, that's a different story. The mage nodded and explained. There was another sentence that Cheese didn't say, but muttered silently in his heart - but those who invited them often paid a price worse than their lives.

"You don't need to describe the details of the summoning, as far as I know, there are no less than ten kinds of summoning rituals. Just tell me what he did with you. Cheese said.

"How did you know he offered to trade with me?" the mayor asked, unconsciously using honorifics to the mage due to Cheese's display of knowledge.

"Oh, that guy has gone to great lengths to gain your trust, is it really for good deeds? There is only one way for those devils to get what they crave, and that is to trade. If he doesn't make a deal with you, I'll find it weird. Cheese sneered, the mage had a personal understanding of the devil's actions.

So the mayor drank the wine from his cup and began to tell the story of his dealings with the devil. The deal is simple, at least in the eyes of the mayor, as "Mr. Smiling" teaches Bender how to save the inhabitants of Sweetwater, who dedicates ten years of his life. From here, it can be seen that this Mr. Mayor is really in love with Sweetwater, at least he is willing to sacrifice himself for this town.

"Anyway, if you can't escape the plague, you will definitely die. Now, instead of dying of the plague, you only need to sacrifice ten years of life, no matter how you think about it, it is a profitable deal. You think so, right?" said the monkey with a sneer.

The mayor nodded heavily, and the others, after hearing this, didn't think it was inappropriate.

"In that case, you voluntarily gave your life to the other party in exchange for refuge, why do you hate Cheese so much?" Jack frowned, although the devil's actions were very hateful, it seemed to be a fair deal, even if the mayor and the townspeople regarded Cheese as an accomplice of the devil, there was no reason to be so hostile to him. That doesn't explain their attitude.

"Let me answer your question. The mage said.

"Because Mr. Mayor was deceived. The devil is talking about ten years of life, but not the ten years of the mayor. I'm afraid, it's all the people in Sweetwater Town, right? And the so-called ten years of life should be more than just ten years of life. ”

When Mayor Bender heard this, the remorse on his face distorted his features strongly, and he gritted his teeth and slammed the table to vent his anger.

"That's not right, even if the mayor is deceived, that devil can't do it to the townspeople all at once! Elsa said suspiciously.

"This brings us to why the devil is looking for Mr. Bende. Perhaps for us human beings, the so-called official position and class are just a way to divide status, it is just a way of addressing. But for the devil, words are power, and position is authority. Because the mayor made this deal, the entire town of Sweetwater had no choice in this deal. I think Mr. Bender's position as mayor should have been emphasized in the contract of this deal. It's just that he just took it as an honorific and didn't notice it. The mage explained.

"Is this possible?" exclaimed the rest of the people, who seemed to them to be even more incomprehensible than the devil himself.

"Of course, the devil has always been fond of the rich and powerful, and there are countless examples of demagogic kings who have lost their entire kingdoms. Cheese explained indifferently. Although the others did not quite understand it, the mage already knew the devil's tricks.

"Then there's the so-called ten years of life, it seems that its explanation is not equal to ten years of life, but it is literal, that devil took ten years of your life, right?"

"Yes, that liar stole ten years from us!" said Mayor Bender, tears glistening in his eyes.

Cheese nodded and explained to the crowd.

"As we all know, our lives are made up of memories of the past, every day, every year, every second we have experienced, and these lapsed time has made us who we are now. So human life is like a tower that keeps going up, and the more we experience, the higher the tower becomes. And our soul is like the material of the tower, the strength of each person's soul is different, so the amount of material is also different, so everyone's lifespan is different. Cheese paused.

"Of course, the way you build the tower also affects the height of the tower, and a good architect can build a taller tower with the same material, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I want to say is that in a general sense we mean the loss of life, the materials that have not yet become part of the tower, and the devil takes ten years from those raw materials, and our life span is reduced by ten years. However, since that guy had to deceive the mayor at such a cost as the souls of four children, he couldn't just want a few hundred people for ten years. There was only one possibility for him to take a decade – a decade that had become part of the tower itself. That is, he took away ten years of memories from every townsman. Cheese said.