Luke didn't care if he was joking or not. Only those who didn't have an opinion wouldn't open their mouths.
He nodded. "Then let me give you a joke reply: If you're willing, I can pay you a ton of gold in one go, or give you a gold bar every month. Consider it… a small toy."
Carter Slade: … If Mephisto had been this generous back then, would he have considered it?
This was a hypothesis with no answer.
He could only shake his head. "I'm just kidding. I don't need gold or cash."
Luke nodded. "Then you can treat it as a joke. However, I'll give you a million in cash. You can use it whenever you need to. No matter how much you use, I'll top it up the following year."
Carter Slade: "…I don't need it."