I Built This City Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Read chapter 26 of I Built This City by ThePudding on NovelPedia.

Merchant Ellen It was a little damp as Ellen walked down the slightly muddy road. An early morning rain, just before sunup, had led to a few puddles in the old trail of packed earth, but it was packed tightly enough that most of the road remained firm even under much more heavy rain than this morning’s. The sun was already climbing into the sky, and the village starting their work days, when Ellen dared to ring the village bell. A loud clanging sound echoed through the small community. Used to signal important meetings or emergency announcements, it hadn’t been used much in the last few years. Even so, it didn’t take long for the crowd to form around the bell, looking for Pauley or Tobias or someone else who might have news. Village Ellen was there, with a crudely-crafted wooden crate she’d found in the attic. Builder Ellen had really done a lot with what little was there, but her earlier efforts weren’t much good for their intended purpose. This one, at least, could be used as something to give Ellen a boost and make her petite form more visible. She hopped onto the box and waved her arms. “EXCUSE ME, EVERYONE! HELLO!” The girl’s voice carried well even over the murmured hubbub of the village, leading to a surprisingly rapid quieting of the voices. The unusual sight of a redhead calling for their attention was enough to give her a few moments to state her business. She waved a hand again. “Hello everyone!” Ellen put on a warm smile. “Most of you know me as Trisha, the sister of Bea at the Treetop Inn. Some of you may have heard my adventurer’s alias, Ellen. That’s me! I have news about the recent purchase of land that includes this village!” That caught everyone’s attention, as she’d expected. She waited for the bulk of those present—mostly the working men and a few of their wives—to be looking her way before she continued. “I didn’t become an adventurer for the money, but money did find me, and so did the dungeon,” she began. “So I’ll skip to the important part… I’m the one who bought the land! And I like this village, so right away I want you to know that I won’t be raising your taxes if I can help it. We’ll be paying the extra taxes out of the profits we get from the dungeon, so you can rest easy about that!” A few of the gathered people started to murmur, which was a bad sign. Only about a fifth of the village was actually present, but that was still about forty people. If they all started talking, she wouldn’t be heard at all. Ellen purposely avoided looking toward Tobias and Lauren. “I just want to reassure you that I did this because once people heard about the dungeon, someone would buy up the land anyway.” Ellen waved her hands again to draw the crowd’s attention back to her. “I see you, Mister Jenson, but I’m not answering questions right now. Let me finish.” She took a deep breath. Her Gambler’s Face helped hide her nervousness, but it didn’t stop her from feeling the fluttering in her stomach as she addressed the people who had helped her when she was lost and confused. “So I decided I should be the one to buy it first!” She clapped her hands. “Now there are some things that will have to change. I can’t help that. We’ll get a new road, and I’m sure the Treetop Inn will need expansion. I’ll be investing in that to pay back how helpful Tobias and Lauren have been to me. I was in a bad place and they helped me, as did all of you in your own way.” She pointed down the road to Merriweather. “There’s a large city close enough that we don’t need to make many changes beyond that. If you want to, then come see me, and I’ll do what I can. But I love this village and you’re all wonderful people, so I want to make sure you can get what you want out of this as well.” Ellen pointed the other way, toward the inn. “I won’t answer questions right now because I need to talk to some of you right away, but I’ll be at the inn frequently when I’m not busy with other things. If you have questions or concerns, you can see me there. Is th