Chương 59: Trading values
Struggling to raise his hand and click on the option from the small screen that opened in front of him, Little Joe replied as he clicked:
"Yes, I accept."
Van Vil smiled in victory because now he had secured a free helper. In fact, more than a helper: Little Joe would be something of a slave.
He was certainly going to take full advantage of the boy's services and even make good money off of it, but his malicious smile didn't last long.
Without warning, the queen ant, which had climbed onto his neck, gave him a strong bite, causing him to scream in pain as he felt his body weaken and fall heavily to the ground.
While on the ground, the other ants covered his body, leaving only his face exposed. Still coughing from the tightness in his throat, Little Joe walked calmly until he was close to Van Vil's face.
"Now that you're ready, let's negotiate my work conditions, Mr. Van Vil. I can really help you, but because of your behavior, my price has gone up. So, I don't know if you'll be able to pay me."
"But Little Joe, think carefully... I paid you 20 bronze coins for your service."
Little Joe didn't let him finish.
"How can you say you paid me when all I got was 20 bronze coins for all the manure I hauled?"
Van Vil wanted to complain, but seeing the queen ant so close to his nose, he thought it best not to make any suspicious movements. And even if he wanted to, he couldn't—he was feeling his entire body paralyzed.
"I want new payment for my service. And if you don't pay me..."
"I'll pay, I'll pay, boy, but please take this ant off my face."
"Don't worry about that. She's just waiting for your offer."
"I... I don't know what you mean by that, but I'll pay another 20 bronze coins."
Little Joe nodded, and one of the subordinate ants came over and bit Van Vil's ear tip, making him scream in pain. Even though he was completely paralyzed, he had believed he'd be immune to pain, but after the bite on his ear, he realized just how wrong he was.
"I think just another 20 bronze coins is too little."
"I'll pay 40 coins then!"
Again, the boy nodded, and another ant bit the other ear.
"Ouch! I'll pay 60..."
Seeing that the boy was about to nod again, without knowing how, Van Vil was sure the ants obeyed him.
"I'll pay 100 bronze coins per day of work!"
As Little Joe was about to move, Van Vil quickly blurted out:
"I'll pay 110... no, 120... no, 130! I'll pay 150 bronze coins per day of work, but please, don't let any more of your ants bite me!"
"Alright, Mr. Van Vil. I was just going to say I'd accept 100 bronze coins, but since you offered 150, we'll go with your last offer. Now, while you stay lying there, I'm going to the city market."
"But aren't you going to help me? Didn't we just make a deal? What's stopping me from not honoring the payment we just agreed on?"
Little Joe looked calmly into Van Vil's eyes and answered:
"The Mr. Van Vil I knew never broke a deal here on the farm, and I don't believe I'll be the first to suffer such bad luck."
"But the Mr. Van Vil you knew didn't have the courage to harm anyone either, did he, Little Joe?" said the man menacingly.
"But the Mr. Van Vil I knew slept peacefully and carefree. And that same Mr. Van Vil didn't have ants all over his body, just waiting for one single order from me to bite him all over."
Suddenly, Van Vil realized the boy was telling the absolute truth, as he felt small itches all over his body.
"Get these ants off me!" shouted the man, desperate.
"You're going to go to your room, write a service contract, sign it, and give it to me to sign too. In that contract, it will say the agreed amount: 150 bronze coins per day of work. You'll also compensate me for the previous days of work. And don't move too much or try to scratch yourself."
"This is torture, boy. I'll never forget this!"
"It's also good to remember, Mr. Van Vil, that you're the one who started all of this. Now go, and don't take too long. No scratching, no taking off your clothes, or any other suspicious moves. Just make the contract and come back here, and they'll leave without bothering you at all."
"And you really expect me to believe you control all these ants?"
"Not all of them. Just one. The queen."
Nodding his finger (actually activating the bite order on the screen), Van Vil received a strong bite on his nose. Before he could jump up, roaring in anger, Little Joe warned him:
"I think you'd better not move too much, or else..."
Little Joe was happy despite his current situation of loneliness. But the achievement of a higher wage, earned by his own sweat, was gratifying.
In the end, Van Vil apologized and admitted he had gone too far because he feared being fired from the farm. He even knelt before Little Joe, promising never to do such a thing again and that, if Joe wanted, he could manage his money, since the boy now had a considerable amount of copper coins.
That was a great achievement for someone his size and age. 600 bronze coins was the total amount Little Joe had earned, and if he didn't spend it by the end of his service, he would have more than enough to exchange for several silver coins, which was his goal.
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