In Dilan's opinion, it made no sense for someone to be generous enough to simply give away something without demanding something else of an equal price in return.
This was how 'fair trade' had always been, and every transaction was conducted to balance the exchange. Every action had a reaction and everything had its price, whether it was something materialistic, emotions, or anything else!
When he entered the Pagoda of Time, he had not noticed the price at first.
In fact, most people wouldn't even notice that something was off. They would probably be happy to encounter something nice and think of it as a miraculous opportunity.
But after facing the Sun temple, Dilan had grown more wary trusting anyone.
That didn't mean he wouldn't act rashly or that he would let go of some opportunities but that he wouldn't trust in things foreign to Milarn.