Chapter 2.21: Tax the Adventurers

Chapter 2.21: Tax the Adventurers

Walking the streets of Broken Tusk was less taxing than crafting, even with the [Refreshing Ring]. Theo walked through the streets, poking his head in on the activities of his citizens and smiling to himself. The new settlers were adjusting to their new homes, but Gridgen Dev was already scouting out the southern hills for ore. The alchemist didnt know how the man intended to find the ore, and he didnt care. It was the level of determination his town needed more than ever.

Theo invited every new citizen into his lab for dinner, although space was tight. Hed need to upgrade the building if he wanted to host dinner parties. The three human brothers ate like adventurers did, barely using utensils to slurp up a massive pot of wolf meat stew. Gridgen, Sarna, and Gasem all ate politely, the young boy happily with the lizard-person Gers child. The alchemist still had learned little about the mans people, and he seemed reluctant to talk about it.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñòv€l-B1n.

Introducing new citizens to Broken Tusk this way seemed like a splendid idea. They got to see what the town was made of outside of the lab, but they needed to see true southlands hospitality. This wasnt a completely selfless act by Theo, though. He certainly cared about the wellbeing of his citizens, but he needed them to have a good impression of the town. Most people were just hungry for a new start, or just plain hungry. They needed a place to call their own, where their actions mattered.

Theo ruminated on that for most of the night, even after the guests left. His actions mattered in Broke Tusk, even more than back on Earth, but he wasnt certain they were his own. A hand laid over his with every action, steering him to the right answer. He accepted the unseen will of Drogramath combined with his high [Wisdom] as a positive thing, embracing them both. He was certain his [Tarahek Core] would balance them out.

The alchemist rose the next morning with a mind for automation. He didnt want to give up his duties as mayor, but he favored putting most of his time into alchemy. This left him with a single, logical option. He would automate the last piece of his process that could be automated, the collection of essence after a run.

Theo had breakfast with Tresk, slowly sipping his moss tea as he ran the items of the day through his mind. The weekly tax collection came up soon, but he wasnt interested in collecting taxes every week. Hed flag everyone as completed and collect it at the end of the month, which seemed more efficient until he got his [Governance Core]. On that front, hed heard nothing from Fenian. The Elf trader should have already reported back to him, but then again, the man was eccentric at the best of times.

What are our goals? Tresk asked in a rare moment of foresight. Normally, the woman was all over the place, or focusing on only doing dungeons.

Theo shrugged. Increase potion production, for one. We also need to increase the population of the town.

Good idea, Tresk nodded. How about Qavell?

Theo narrowed his eyes at the Marshling. Why do I have a feeling this is a war meeting?

Well, we gotta be ready, Tresk said. How much are we getting in subsidies?

Theo opened his mayor screen, not willing to question Tresk further. She had a good intuition for native concerns, something he was still catching up on. There was a standing bounty on every wolfs head, but it was a pittance. 2 copper per head, paid through their adventurer society. There was also an adventurer relocation bonus, which provided a similar amount of money. Something like a living wage in the town, which struck him as odd. He explained the amount of money they were getting, or rather the amount the adventurers were getting.

So, were not getting anything, Tresk said.

Not to mention it's a drop in the bucket, Theo said, reclining in his chair. I could have paid for every monsters head during the siege with little effort. Even if 1,000 monsters assaulted the gates, I could pay.

Kinda seems like theyre stringing you along for something, Tresk said.

Theo waved her off. That seemed to reach too far, considering the dynamic between Broken Tusk and Qavell. The alchemist saw his town as an outpost, or a colony. Thats how the capital treated them, anyway.

Someone is stringing me along, but I dont know if it's Qavell, Theo said. It wont matter once I have my trade routes established. What are the chances they think well trade with the east?

They might have thought of it, Tresk said. Hard to say what anyone in that city is thinking, though.

Well, to answer your question. We build power as quickly as we can, Theo said. Power for us is not money. Its defense and production.

Tresk nodded excitedly. Agreed! Well, you need to tax the adventurers.

Theo leveled his gaze at the Marshling. What?

Yeah. Everyone uses the dungeon for free, but you own it. Well, Broken Tusk owns it.

Theo let out a heavy sigh. He considered his current streams of revenue for a moment before responding. The monster waves were worth an absurd amount of moneythey hadnt even finished counting their coin from the last wave and another was fast approaching. Alchemy was second, strictly in the sense that Fenians requests often brought in tens of gold at once. Next was his investments, namely Pergs tannery and Zizs quarry. Each of them brought in a trickle of silver, but it was far more than he made in taxes. Taxes owed to the town slipped through his fingers, directly to Qavell. It might be nice to have another stream of revenue for the town.

How would the adventurers take that? Theo asked.

Talk to Aarok about it, Tresk said. Figure something out with him. I think the adventurers would love itmost of them are rich beyond their wildest dreams already.

Theo nodded, and they fell back into the relative silence of their meal. When they finished, Tresk scampered off to do whatever it was she did all day. The alchemist met with Azrug downstairs to straighten out some plans regarding the piles of loot he bought. The shopkeeper claimed to have made his investment back on every item he had, which seemed doubtful.

The wider I go with my items, the more the adventurers buy, Azrug said, rubbing his hands together. Especially since youre letting me play with all this money. This wouldnt be possible without that, Theo.

Well, youre doing a good job, Theo said sheepishly.

A dungeon access fee fell under the umbrella of a membership fee, so that was out of the question. Theo didnt like the idea of taking from the contracts themselves, either. That money should go to the guild or the adventurers, not the town. The only option that made sense to him was a membership fee, but he had a few changes in mind.

Membership fee, Theo said. Everyone can sign up for free, but we charge dues. Perhaps we should create a ranking system and levy the fee based on that.

We already have a ranking system, Aarok said, gesturing to the only piece of furniture in the room that wasnt either a weapon rank, chair, or desk. A large scroll had been nailed directly into the wall, containing a list of names. Tresks was on top.

Theo knit his brow. Why didnt Tresk tell me she was the best adventurer in Broken Tusk?

She doesnt like for you to worry, Aarok said.

Theo nodded. He didnt want to think about that one too much.

Can you run the numbers? Come up with something sensible to charge them based on their rank? Theo asked. Every single coin will go to the town, not my personal use.

I assumed as much. I can run the numbers, dont worry. The adventurers clear an absurd number of contracts, so I expect the town will see a few gold a week, Aarok said.

Theo stood up and reached a hand out for the guildmaster to shake. This is a boon.

Aarok shook his hand. More than you know. Since were independent, the town gets the money. If we belonged to the United Adventuring Guilds, we would owe them a large percentage of our extra money.

Theo engaged in as little small talk as was socially acceptable. It was easy with Aarok, though. The man had few words to say that werent about business, giving the alchemist a chance to get out of there and back to his lab. Once there, he organized his stills for a few simple runs, keeping another idea in the back of his mind. For now, he was satisfied running his 3 stills with the 3 basic reagents for restoration potions. He used his [Alchemical Grinder] to make a mash of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], [Manashrooms], and [Thistle Moss] before kicking each into action.

With a vial of [Alchemic Soil Enhancer] in his inventory, he left the lab for the area behind the building. With the pressure vessel sorted with another run of refined essence, he went searching for swamp thistle. Digging them up to the root was easy with his gloves, allowing him to grasp the plant at the base without worrying about the spines. Theo arrived back at his building with 10 full plants in his inventory, and got to work doing something hed thought of since he first arrived.

Unlike the Banu and his farmers, Theo had no experience in farming. He dug into the ground with his bare hands, cursing under his breath as he hit more rocks and roots than soil. It took a long time to figure out the best place to plant the thistle, finding a section next to the gravel yard that could fit all 10 of his new plants. A rush of excitement filled his body as he dripped the [Alchemic Soil Enhancer] in each hole and on the loose soil. Ribbons of light flowed through the dirt, instantly changing it from useless soil to [Enhanced Arable Soil]. The alchemist then planted each of his thistles, covering them with the new dirt.

Where they had wilted slightly from being uprooted, the plants perked up immediately. If Theo sat there for longer, he could even see them growing slightly. The leaves waggled in the air, turning to search the sunlight as he watched. But the simple experiment wasnt enough, he wanted to see the full power of his alchemy and he retreated to the lab.

Using his existing [Growth Essence], at excellent quality, he performed a simple reaction. 1 unit of [Purified Water], 1 unit of [Growth Essence], and a single [Copper Shaving] saw an immediate reaction. It put off a smell like an oncoming storm, filling the air with a green smoke that felt like inhaling a rain cloud. He inspected the result.

[Lesser Potion of Growth]

[Potion]

Uncommon

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Excellent Quality

Drink to grow 1.25 your current size. May age the imbiber of the potion by an unknown quantity of time.

Effect:

Affect the [Growth] property on any living thing.

That wasnt a good thing. The potion claimed that anyone drinking it would age an unknown amount of time. It didnt seem worth it to take a few years off his life to grow to such a small amount. It also didnt detail how long he would be larger, or if it would fade. The good part about the potion was the effect description. It would work on any living thing. He presumed this meant it would also work on plants, not just people.

Theo bolted back out into the yard, potion in hand and excitement in his eyes. He selected the plant furthest to the right before dripping the smallest amount onto the soil. Nothing happened, and he stood there, watching as the leaves sought the sun. He shrugged, dumping the entire potion on the plant and waiting. Faint light shone from under the dirt and the plant wiggled. The plant suddenly grew larger, increasing its size by a quarter before flailing its leafy limbs. The alchemist stumbled back as the thing continued to flail, letting out a horrible shrieking noise.

Theo stammered, withdrawing his alchemy knife from his inventory and holding it in front of him. A crude bulb-shaped face formed at the top of the plant, complete with gnashing teeth. It flailed its limbs more, slapping at the ground and growling at the alchemist.

Tresk! Help! I created a monster! Theo shouted into Tresks mind.

You WHAT?