Threatening a boy

Van Vil couldn't believe how that boy had carried all that manure to the back of the farm in less than a day's work. He knew that from the point where the manure was to where it should be discarded, it was 400 meters one way and 400 meters back, totaling exactly 800 meters. Considering Little Joe's current strength, he couldn't carry more than 30 kg in that old wooden cart, and each round trip would take approximately 10 minutes.

Following his calculations, that would result in about 10 or more hours of continuous work just to move 1,800 kg of manure. But the amount that was there, according to his calculations, should be around 3 tons or even more. A job like that wouldn't be done in less than 17 hours of work, especially since his calculations didn't even account for the time Little Joe would certainly need to rest, drink water, and eat.

However, in the chicken area, everything was clean, and there was no indication of any help or cheating. The next morning arrived, with a bright sun bringing a strong wave of heat, as usual. Little Joe woke up and was already getting ready for his daily routine, but he remembered that he had finished his arduous task the day before.

Sitting on his bed, he noticed that the floor of his room was covered with yellow ants, which he knew very well. And right in front of those ants was the queen ant, standing still as if she were a little stone or something similar. Reacting very carefully not to hurt any of them, Little Joe slowly made his way around, while they, acting under the orders of their queen, cleared a path. In fact, it was as if they had made a little trail, giving enough space for Little Joe to pass.

"What are these ants doing here?" Little Joe thought as he spent his 10 minutes on his usual morning routine. When he returned from the bathroom with clean hands and face, he decided to investigate why the ants were in his room.

Suddenly, loud knocks echoed through the house. Quickly, Joe returned from his room and went to answer the door. To his surprise, he found Mr. Van Vil with a red face, sweating and looking desperate, panting heavily.

"Little Joe, please, you need to help me. I don't know what to do anymore, and I can't find anyone who can help."

"But what are you talking about, Mr. Van Vil?"

Meanwhile, Mr. Van Vil continued speaking uncontrollably:

"I know you finished cleaning the manure from the chickens yesterday, but somehow the same amount appeared again. Please help me, because I don't know what to do anymore. My boss will be here soon, and he will surely ask for an explanation, and I have no idea what I will tell him."

Speaking to him calmly, Little Joe simply replied:

"Mr. Van Vil, I apologize, but today is Saturday, market day. It's the day I buy food that comes from far away, along with many other new things."

"No, boy, you don't understand me! I really need your help!"

Little Joe looked closely at Van Vil's desperate face and realized this was the perfect moment to negotiate:

"I haven't even been paid for my previous work. And you're already trying to exploit me first thing in the morning?"

"Here it is, my boy, the 20 silver coins, as agreed," Mr. Van Vil said, pulling out 20 bronze coins from a leather pouch and placing them in Little Joe's hands.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Van Vil. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to leave."

Mr. Van Vil's eyes widened even more:

"What do you mean leave? Didn't you hear me say you need to help me?"

Passing under Mr. Van Vil's arm, since he was tall, Little Joe headed for the door to leave. Van Vil looked at the spot where the little boy had been just moments ago and saw a large number of yellow specks on the floor, resembling dirt or scattered crumbs.

With an aggressive and desperate movement, Van Vil caught Little Joe by surprise before he reached the open door. Van Vil rushed to it, pushed the boy aside, and slammed it shut.

In the next moment, he grabbed the boy by the collar of his clothes and lifted him up, using the wall for support.

Having never seen such a rude action from Van Vil, Little Joe was at a loss for how to react; that man had never been his enemy or an enemy of his family.

"You're going to have to help me. Before, I was going to pay you; now you'll work for free. And if you don't do it, I'll take your house and throw you out onto the street!"

Little Joe didn't know what to do. Van Vil had always been very polite to him and, somehow, had always tried to help him, but now, with the problem he was facing, the man was simply frantic. At that moment, a message appeared for the boy, which he read carefully:

[A large amount of XP has been confiscated from your total. A defense skill has been added to the sentinel ants. You have earned the respect of the ants, and they want to defend you. Do you accept?]

[Yes or no].

Knowing nothing, Van Vil asked:

"So, Little Joe, do you accept to help me or not?"

Struggling to raise his hand and click the "Yes" option on the small screen that had opened in front of him, Little Joe replied at the same time he clicked:

"Yes, I accept."

Van Vil gave a victorious smile, thinking that the boy's response was for him because now he had managed to get a free helper, or rather, something more than a helper. Little Joe would be something like an extremely obedient servant, or better described, a slave.