Chrysalis Chapter 1713 - Re-negotiate

“Ah, if it isn’t my favorite resident of Green Mountain. It is truly a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Alice. Or should I say Mrs.?”

Once more, she found herself on the boat, met by the obsequious yet mockingly brazen merchant, forced to endure the presence of this maddening creature.

“I am married,” Alice replied with a stiff tone as she settled into her seat.

“Oh, how marvelous. I must admit, as a terrifying and frightful monster,” Merchant chuckled, “the concept of limiting personal bonds like that is quite beyond my grasp. It isn't that I lack a family—I possess the most extensive family in all of Pangera—but the thought of founding a family entirely on my own is… rather horrifying.”

“How could a monster possibly comprehend the experience of a living being?” Alice countered coldly. “Being born from the Dungeon, you could never understand what a genuine family is like.”

If she had hoped to provoke the ant, her efforts were in vain. Merchant simply dismissed the remark with a wave of her limb while removing and polishing her glasses.

“Oh, pish. I have a mother and millions upon millions of sisters. From my perspective, it is your family that is entirely insufficient.”

After sliding her glasses back onto her head, Merchant reached out to grasp the cup resting on the table before her. She took a sip of tea, clacking her mandibles with clear satisfaction before setting the cup down.

“Regardless, we didn’t gather here to discuss genealogy; we are here for a transaction. My favorite sort of conversation. Currently, we have three hundred of your delvers in our custody. Are you interested in bringing them home?”

Had they truly captured three hundred delvers? It felt impossible, yet there had been total silence from the tunnels for days. Though the Union had initially projected an air of calm, that facade was beginning to crumble with every passing hour.

While hundreds of delvers remained within the city, they were becoming increasingly hesitant to venture out. In a remarkably short period, the ants seemed to have reversed the roles; now, it was Green Mountain cowering behind its walls, paralyzed by fear.

“I demand proof that they are actually in your custody,” she stated in a sharp, crisp voice. “No negotiations can occur without such evidence.”

“But of course!”

Merchant reached beneath the table, retrieved a sheet of paper, and laid it out for her to see.

“No trouble at all. We’ve compiled a list of signatures from every captive we’ve secured. Excluding the Priests, naturally.”

Suppressing her emotions, Alice took the document calmly and scanned the names. Having consulted with the Union just days prior, she recognized them immediately. When her eyes fell upon Frederick Armon, she couldn't stop a sharp intake of breath. He was the highest-ranking Union member in the field. She had held onto the hope that he had escaped to bring back intel, but that hope now seemed extinguished.

“There are thousands of delvers currently in the tunnels, but we are sweeping them up at quite an impressive pace, wouldn’t you agree? After all, I was just here a few days ago.”

The ant tapped the ash from the tip of her cigar, her mandibles clacking in amusement.

“How long until we’ve collected them all? And while I loathe to pressure you, it would be negligent of me not to mention that this specific proposal is heavily restricted by the temporal flow.”

“The what?”

“It’s a limited-time offer.”

Once again, a small, folded scrap of paper was slid across the table. What was it with this ant and these folded notes?

“This is the current asking price. It isn't significantly higher than the last one.”

Alice opened the page and immediately turned pale.

“It’s double!” she cried out.

“But who can truly put a price on a life? As it happens, I can. The cost will only continue to escalate if you persist in delaying, so I suggest you take advantage of this early-aphid special and spare yourself future agony.”

“I cannot simply agree to such a sum without Council approval,” Alice said evenly. “Securing that approval takes time. Budgets must be reviewed, and there are strict limits on public spending. It is impossible for the Council to generate this much coin so quickly. If the Colony truly wishes to negotiate, we require a realistic timeframe and a sensible price. Thus far, these talks have been nothing but bluster and childish demands.”

Merchant let out a loud laugh, her mandibles clacking in rhythm.

“A valiant effort to reframe our dialogue, but I fear it is you who fails to understand the nature of this deal.”

Merchant buffed her glasses once more before putting them back on, a predatory intelligence shining in every facet of her eyes.

“Price is dictated by demand. Demand is influenced by scarcity. Your supply of delvers is set to drop quite sharply over the coming days. Naturally, that decrease in supply will trigger a rise in price. The more desperately Green Mountain wants its delvers back, the more we shall charge.”

How in the name of Pangera was it possible? The creature lacked eyelids entirely, yet it somehow gave the unmistakable impression of a cheeky wink. Was it some form of magic? An optical trick?

“That is simply fundamental economics. Regarding the time needed to raise funds, I’m afraid that is not our concern.”

“It is if you want to receive your filthy money,” Alice pointed out sharply.

“You have it backwards,” Merchant grinned—somehow. “It isn’t that we want money; it is you who wants the delvers. What you truly must consider is whether you can afford to hesitate. Just imagine the figure that will be written on that page once every delver in Green Mountain is behind our bars.”

Merchant rubbed her front claws together in anticipation.

“It’s going to be delicious.”