Mayor Shellenberger was startled at Duke’s blunt statement. His frown quickly grew into a wide smile. “Indeed I have. Would you care for an accounting, or would you rather head directly to the treasury?”
“Let’s have a brief accounting first. What are you charging taxes on, how are they collected, and what rates are you charging?” Duke laid out his questions smoothly.
“I will have to bring in the tax assessor if you have more in-depth question, but I can answer those questions easily enough. We tax loot collected in the city’s dungeon at 15%, goods sold at 5%, and property at 10% of its assessed value each year. These taxes pay for the administration of the city as well as the guards’ salaries.”
“I see. After all those expenses, what is left over?”
“Lately, quite a bit. The excess should go to the crown, I would think.”
“Straight to me? Not put towards the safety and expansion of the city?”
“We already have that figured into the administration costs.”
“Very well, let’s hit up the treasury and see what we are working with.”
A matter of a few minutes and several locked, guarded doors later they arrived at the Treasury with the Tax Assessor in tow. When the door was opened and Duke stepped inside, torches sprung to life ringing the walls of the large chamber. Duke stopped in mid-step at the wealth displayed inside. There were chests overflowing with gold stacked on tiers four high and along an entire wall of the chamber.
Before he could say anything, the Tax Assessor looked up from the ledger he was holding, announcing, “Six hundred twenty-seven thousand forty-eight gold coins if you were going to ask.”
Again, before Duke could respond, an empty chest appeared at the end of the row and several hundred coins fell into it from a briefly opened portal. The Assessor amended looking down at his ledger, “Make that four hundred seventy-eight.”
“The coins just magically appear here?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. The Royal Dungeon Administrator set it up for us. There is a magical arch that everyone entering and exiting the dungeon must pass through. Their taxes are automatically deducted as they exit. It’s amazingly efficient.”
Royal Dungeon Administrator? Must be Sam’s doing.
“And the rest of the taxes?” Duke asked.
“Oh, those have to be collected the old-fashioned way, Your Grace. In person.”
“And how does everybody feel about that when you come to collect?”
“Naturally, they are not particularly happy about it. But they understand it is necessary.”
“Is it, though? How much tax revenue does the dungeon bring in?”
“Oh, the dungeon is by far the city’s greatest source of tax revenue.”
Duke smiled. “Then, perhaps, we should suspend the other forms of taxes for the time being. You clearly have enough reserves already here to sustain the city for quite some time.”
“But you have yet to take the crown’s share.” He protested.
“And so I shall. I’ll take three hundred twenty-five thousand gold for the kingdom. Does that seem fair?” Duke asked.
“That is only about half of the taxes collected for the kingdom. Surely, the kingdom requires more.” The Assessor protested much to Duke’s amusement.
“Put the rest aside for a future date and spend half of the revenue that comes in on the city. Make it beautiful. Make sure that everyone has a job. Expand the libraries. Create schools for children to learn trades or magic or whatever will help the city stay prosperous. Pay the guards well. These are the things that tax revenue should be spent on.”
“It shall be as you say, Your Majesty.” Mayor Shellenberger said with a broad grin on his face as another cascade of gold hit the last chest.
Duke walked over to the chests and made a quick estimate on what would be the three hundred twenty-five thousand gold and pulled it into his INVENTORY. His status page informed him that he was still several hundred gold light, so he gathered more until he met the number, having to toss three gold back at the end.
The Assessor marveled at Duke’s accuracy, looking up from his ledger shaking his head. “Three hundred twenty-five thousand gold coins precisely. Remarkable.”
“I like to think so.” Duke quipped. “Remember to suspend the other taxes. I’ll be back at some point to collect another payment for the kingdom. Make this the most beautiful and prosperous city ever!” Duke TELEPORTED to the City Hall entrance and stepped through the door and out into the city again.
It was a short walk across the square to the Adventurers’ Guild. It, like the City Hall was a stone building, but unlike the marble monstrosity across the square, the guild building was mortared stone blocks roughly fitted together.
I wonder if it’s the mortar keeping the building standing rather than those very irregular stone blocks.
Duke approached the building noting that people entered and left on a regular basis. He had seen four different groups enter or leave in just the short time it took him to cross the square. He also noted that the groups were all moving with a purpose and were equipped with weapons and armor.
Makes sense that adventurers would be coming back and forth from the Adventurers’ Guild, and they would be equipped for the dungeon. I wonder if there is anything else the Adventures do around here. Are there random monsters running around that need to be hunted down? Guess I could just inquire inside, right?
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Duke made his way through the door, dodging a group of adventurers rushing out that barely noticed him and certainly did not recognize him. He smiled and proceeded inside where he was greeted by an attractive young woman who stood behind a counter in the most bored tone he had ever encountered. She did not glance up at him from her ledger but spoke in his general direction with an off-hand wave. “Greetings adventurer. Name, team, and nature of your check-in?”
Duke decided to play along as he found it rather amusing. “My name is Duke and I have no team. This is my first time here.”
She didn’t look up, continuing in her distracted tone. “Joining up or looking for someone?”
“I’m looking for the Guildmaster.”
“Office hours are on Tuesday and Thursday from noon until dusk.” She handed Duke a sheet of paper, still not looking up from her ledger. “Fill this out and an appointment will be set for you. Now move along.” The dismissal wasn’t entirely unfriendly, but it was definite. Duke chuckled and moved off to the side.
Definitely getting DMV vibes here.
A group of five people stepped up to the desk and received the same greeting Duke had. The apparent leader of the group spoke up. “Jenson Swan of the Renegades. We just completed the eighth level.”
“Your recording stone?” She held her hand out without looking up. Jenson placed a small glowing green pebble in it. She examined it for a moment before dropping it in a small hole in her counter. After a brief wave of her hand over the hole, her bracelet pulsed twice. “Return in two hours and your stone will be ready. Any unusual loot to report?”
“No, ma’am. Primarily gold coins and standard consumables with the typical weapons. Although it does seem like we are getting more loot than in previous weeks.”
“Very well. Dismissed. Return in two hours for your stone.” During the entire exchange she had not looked up from her ledger, her right hand still scratching away at its pages with a quill.
The group headed off through a door to the right. When it opened, Duke heard the telltale sounds of a tavern with music and the murmur of multiple conversations flowing out of the door. Silence followed after the door was closed behind the group.
Duke stepped further away from the counter into an area that had several chairs set up like a waiting room. He sat down and looked over the form he had been given. It reminded him of every governmental intake form he had ever seen. It took him all of fifteen seconds to decide that he was going to skip this part of the adventure. He walked back over to the desk.
Once again, he was greeted with the same message. “Greetings adventurer. Name, team, and nature of your check-in?”
Duke drummed his fingers on the counter long enough to actually get the woman’s attention. She looked up, thoroughly irritated, ready to blast him with some diatribe but stopped short when she made eye contact. He wasn’t sure she recognized him, but the crown was a bit of a giveaway. Not many could pull of wearing a crown around all day.
“I’ll see the Guildmaster now, yes?” Duke smiled back at the young woman.
She mentally scrambled before responding. “Please wait here a moment, Your Majesty.” She rushed off through the door behind the counter. Duke waited almost patiently.
She returned nearly breathless after several seconds. “This way, Your Majesty. The Guildmaster will see you now.”
Duke followed her through the door and up the stairs. The hallway that followed was made of darkly polished wood and gave Duke the sense of an old world bank. The double doors at the end were beautifully carved in what Duke took to be the emblem of the Guild. She opened the doors for him and stepped aside. As Duke entered, he casually handed her the form she had given him. It had three words written in the section for reason of appointment, “I’m the king.” She made herself scarce.
The Guildmaster’s office was well-appointed and decorated with what appeared to be trophies taken from the city’s dungeon. The Guildmaster stood before her desk. She was strikingly different than anyone Duke had met so far save the Beastkin. She stood about a head shorter than him with broad shoulders and a powerful, athletic build. Her skin was a fascinating shade of greenish blue. She flashed him a smile before offering a deep bow which may or may not have been intended to offer him a look at her cleavage. Regardless, it took away from her overly sharp teeth.
“Be welcome in the Adventurers’ Guild of Havenreach, Your Majesty.” She straightened up and her pupilless black eyes fixed Duke with curiosity.
“Thank you for your welcome.” He gestured to the chair behind her desk as he sat in the chair before it. She quickly settled herself down in her own chair. Duke noticed that the chairs were set at differing heights, forcing him to slightly look up to meet her eyes despite their height difference.
“This is my first time in the city, and I am looking into all the major establishments.” He gestured around himself. “And you seem to be doing rather well for yourself, Guildmaster….” Duke trailed off, inviting her to introduce herself.
“I am Chal’barnah and, as you have surmised, am the Guildmaster for our adventurers. And I am not ashamed to admit that it has been a rather profitable position.”
“Tell me about it. How does it all work and what makes it so profitable.” Duke prompted.
“Yes, You Majesty. The Guild provides services for our members in support of delving into the City’s dungeon. We provide maps, training, supplies, information, and even guides if requested. Yes, we do charge a membership fee and have a small tax on all dungeon loot in exchange. It truly is a situation where everyone wins.”
“What if someone wants to run the dungeon without the support of the Guild?”
“They are welcome to, but the survival rate is at least 40% higher with Guild training. We aren’t going to stop anyone from venturing on their own and there are a number of successful individuals who delve without Guild membership. But they are the exception. Roughly half of the non-affiliated who enter the dungeon perish. It’s not for the faint of heart for sure.”
“Tell me about the taxes and fees.”
“We charge a straight 10% tax on all dungeon loot and the membership fee is 10 silvers per month for a basic membership.”
“So, you and the City combine to take 25% of all the loot your members secure from the dungeon. That seems like a bit much.”
“Please ask our members how they feel about it. You will see they are quite happy with the relationship. Especially with the survivor’s fund. We place 2% of all taxes collected into a fund to support the families of fallen adventurers. Regardless of whether you die on your first delve or your hundredth, your family will be taken care of. And considering the recent spike in loot retrieved, everyone seems to be even more happy.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about it all just yet but taking care of families seems like a worthy idea. How did you become the Guildmaster, by the way?”
She chuckled. “Have you seen me? I really don’t fit in with what most people consider ‘normal’ and that’s fine. I’ve had to learn to live with being feared most of my life. It made me tougher than everybody else. I learned how to fight and how to take care of myself at an early age. It was that and a drive to prove myself that saw me to be the first person to complete the dungeon back in the early days. The job, and this building, came as a reward for doing so.”
“You won the job then.”
“Yes, but afterwards people kept coming to me for advice on how to delve. One thing led to another and here we are with a fully-established and official Guild. Please feel free to poke around or even send an agent to do so for you. I don’t have time or the will to play political games or to try and pull one over on anybody. Least of all, my King.”
Either my XENOGLOSSIA is on the fritz, or she is being completely honest with me. I’ll go with the hopeful answer and trust that she is being honest.
Duke nodded to himself and stood, extending a hand to Chal’barah. “Thank you for your time and your straightforward and honest answers. I wish the best of luck to you and your Guildmembers.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. If you would like a guided delve, I would be happy to arrange one for you with our most experienced group.” She took his hand and shook it, seemingly unsure of the proper protocol.
Duke chuckled. “I have no idea what the proper protocol is either. I wasn’t exactly trained to be a king but we all do what we can, right? And no thank you on the guided dungeon run. There’s nothing in there that could possibly hurt me.” He left with that enigmatic statement, leaving the city itself shortly thereafter.