NOVEL NEXT Chapter 106: A Stacked Deal
The flash of light faded away, and the four adventurers found themselves standing once again in the room leading to the Shattered Hall.
In the center now stood a rectangular table. They'd all been expecting it.
There was a small flash and four slips of parchment materialized out of thin air and drifted gently onto the table, landing in a neat line.
"And the taxman is here again," Rowan sighed.
"Of course," Ingrid muttered. "Can't even breathe without the guild taking their cut."
They each walked forward and picked up their slip. The slip held a ledger-style breakdown of their recent dungeon haul, the recorded loot values, and the corresponding tax percentage.
Wade glanced over his slip, his brows furrowing slightly. Before he could process it, Ingrid let out a curse.
"Nine thousand coins?!" she hissed, her voice echoing off the room's smooth walls. "They want nine thousand coins in taxes? For what? They're saying my share of the loot is worth 90,000 coins!"
Rowan, reading his own parchment, sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Same here."
Wade simply exhaled. 9,000 coins to be paid for their ten percent tax.
"This is ridiculous," Rowan said bitterly. "The guild is inflating the valuation of every dungeon's loot to squeeze more out of us before the fighting starts."
Ingrid blinked. "You mean… they can just do that?"
Rowan gave a dry laugh. "They always could. The guild keeps its own official record of market values."
"Let's say the real worth of our combined loot was ninety thousand coins. The guild can claim it's worth a hundred and twenty thousand on their books, and boom, they get twelve thousand instead of nine."
"And we can't contest it because, legally speaking, we don't have the right to value loot from their dungeons. They do."
Wade frowned, tapping the edge of his slip thoughtfully. "That's… convenient."
"Of course. Corruption disguised as administration," Rowan said, folding the paper neatly. "And right now, with the war coming, they'll need every coin they can get their hands on."
Wade's eyes drifted back down to his own parchment. Beneath the line listing his tax payment was another set of numbers.
[Outstanding Guild Loan: 8,750 coins]
[Total Due: 17,750 coins]
He exhaled through his nose. "Well… guess it's time."
Sebastian glanced at him. "Debt?"
Wade nodded. "Clearing it."
Rowan looked up from his parchment. "Good. That would be one less future payment."
Wade opened his inventory and drew the total amount he needed, 17,750 coins, materializing it onto the table in a neat stack.
The ink on the parchment changed.
[Payment Received]
[Guild Tax: 9,000 coins deducted]
[Guild Loan: 8,750 coins cleared]
[All Debts Settled. Thank you for your continued cooperation, Adventurer Wade Barrett.]
"There," Wade muttered. "That's one less chain around my neck."
Sebastian gave him an approving nod. "Good. You'll want to be free when the horde hits. Debt's a leash you don't want tugged in wartime."
Wade gave a small, appreciative smile.
When everyone finished their transactions, Sebastian straightened. "Alright. We're done here. Let's move."
They left the room together, passing through the arched doorway and back into the corridor of doors.
The corridor emptied into the bustling hallways of the guild headquarters, and soon, the distant clatter of plates and the low rumble of conversation filled the air.
They were near the cafeteria.
As they entered, the familiar smell of cooked meat and herbs greeted them. Adventurers of all ranks filled the space, the place more subdued than usual.
They reached their usual table, but this time, none of them seemed eager to sit.
Sebastian turned to them first. "I need to file a report about the Shattered Hall changes. That way, anyone going in after us won't be caught unaware. The guild will want that logged immediately. Ingrid, Wade, Rowan… good work in there."
"Thanks," Wade said.
Sebastian gave them a curt nod and left, his heavy boots thudding against the stone floor.
Rowan stretched his arms, his joints popping. "I'll head to the guild shop and get those Mirror Daggers and skill stones appraised, then sell them. We'll split the proceeds once I'm done."
"Don't get shortchanged," Wade said, half-joking.
Rowan smirked. "Me? Please. I'll charm every coin out of those merchants. They'll be paying me to take their gold."
He winked and left.
Ingrid exhaled and slid into a chair, rubbing her temples. "I think I'll grab something to eat. I'm starving."
Wade smiled faintly. "You've earned it."
"What about you?" she asked.
"I've got an errand to run," he said.
She nodded goodbye.
And with that, Wade left the guild building.
He would've taken care of selling the loot, but that would be setting himself up for a bad deal.
The loot must be sold to the guild at a lower price than the market value, and the guilds set the market value.
It was a deal heavily skewed against him. There was simply no point. It was better for Rowan to handle it. His Origin Skill didn't punish deals like that in the same way Dimensional Ledger did.
Wade made his way down the street, heading to the Fairchild Mansion.
Eventually, he arrived.
Its iron gates were flanked by armored guards in the Viscount's personal livery.
Wade approached calmly. "I'm here to see Viscount Fairchild," he said.
The guards exchanged a look, then one nodded curtly. "You're expected?"
"I believe he'll want to see me," Wade said, producing a small silver token, the proof of his business arrangement from their last meeting.
That seemed to suffice. The guard gestured for him to wait while the other disappeared through the gate.
A few minutes later, the man returned. "The Viscount will see you. Follow me."
Wade was led through the winding paths of the courtyard, and just like before, they entered the mansion through the servant wing.
Soon, they stopped before a familiar set of double doors.
"The study," the guard said, then stepped aside.
Wade entered.
The study was exactly as he remembered it, especially with the single chair, meant for Viscount Fairchild.
He waited.
Moments later, the door opened again, and Viscount Fairchild swept in, dressed in a dark robe, his smile wide and disarming as ever.
"Ah, Wade Barrett!" he said warmly, spreading his arms. "A pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you so soon."
He crossed to the desk and sat, steepling his fingers. "So, tell me. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Wade met his gaze.
"I've come," he said, "to pay off my debt."