Chapter 369: Conference Meeting

Three days had passed since Sage and the others returned from the Vault, but the second-floor conference room of the Adventurer Guild still carried the feeling that something important was about to happen.

This was not one of their usual meetings where people came in late, dragged chairs around, complained about missions, or turned serious discussions into arguments over food and money.

The large round table in the center had been cleared completely, and thick stacks of documents now sat neatly in front of every seat.

Sage occupied the head of the table, while Valeria sat several chairs away with her arms folded, her usual calm expression giving away nothing.

Gregor was beside Lyana, Vanthrice had rested her bronze spear against the wall behind her chair, Brutus leaned back with his large arms crossed over his chest, Caelis already had a pen and several blank sheets prepared, and Boren kept glancing suspiciously at the documents as though paperwork itself might be some kind of hidden tax.

The twenty elite Adventurers who had followed them into the Vault filled the remaining seats, and unlike the noisy atmosphere that usually surrounded such a large gathering, nobody was talking much.

Everyone understood why they were here.

The treasure discussion had already changed the way they looked at the Guild, but today Sage intended to put actual numbers, rights, and ownership behind the idea they had agreed on.

Sage allowed the silence to remain for a little longer before finally standing.

He gathered the top stack of documents, walked around the table, and placed a copy in front of everyone before returning to his seat.

"I’ve finished calculating the first ownership structure for the Evergreen Regional Guild," he said, his tone straightforward rather than dramatic.

"Before anyone starts arguing about percentages, let me make something clear. This isn’t a reward chart where higher numbers mean one person is more important than another. I based this on contribution to the Guild, contribution inside the Vault, responsibilities already being carried, and how much long-term risk each person is taking by tying themselves to the organization. We can still discuss it, and if anyone thinks something is unfair, say it now. Once the contracts are signed later, changing the structure becomes much more difficult."

That immediately made several people look down at the first page.

Sage continued. "I will retain forty percent of the Evergreen Regional Guild."

Gregor’s head came up almost instantly. His eyebrows pulled together as he looked from the document to Sage.

"Forty? That’s all you’re keeping?" He leaned forward slightly, his expression showing genuine disbelief rather than disagreement.

"You founded the Guild, the System or whatever strange blessing you have clearly revolves around you, you manage the largest decisions, and most of the expansion happened because you kept pushing it forward. I expected you to hold more than half at minimum."

Boren, meanwhile, had gone in the opposite direction. His eyes widened as he stared at the number printed beside Sage’s name, and his lips slowly moved as if he were doing calculations in his head.

"Forty percent still sounds terrifying when you remember how much this place is already worth," he muttered. "If someone told me three months ago that one person could own forty percent of an organization with hundreds of thousands of Adventurers, branches in several cities, the Mana Cultivation Tower, Smithy, Inn, Restaurant, district property, contracts, mission commissions, and all those Vault treasures..."

He paused before looking at Sage with suspicion. "Boss, you’re much richer than you act."

Sage ignored the last part and looked toward Gregor. "Forty percent gives me enough ownership that my position cannot be casually threatened, but it also leaves enough outside my hands for the Guild to become more than something I personally possess. I don’t want everyone here working for a Guild where every building, every coin, every branch, and every future success ultimately belongs to one man. That might work while I’m alive and reasonable. It becomes a problem the moment something happens to me or someone less reasonable takes my place."

Lyana had already started studying the second page more carefully.

She tapped one line lightly with the end of his pen before raising his eyes. "Then the remaining sixty percent is being distributed among the people in this room?"

Sage nodded. "To all of you."

That answer changed the atmosphere immediately.

Several of the twenty Adventurers looked at one another, and this time their surprise was much harder to hide. They had known they would receive shares because of the earlier meeting, but hearing that Sage had given up the majority of ownership that could have easily remained under his control made the idea feel much more real.

Some leaned closer to the documents. One woman slowly ran a finger beneath the lines describing ownership rights, while another Adventurer turned several pages ahead as though expecting some hidden clause to explain why this sounded too generous.

Sage rested one hand on the table. "Before we discuss who gets what percentage, you need to understand the difference between owning part of the Guild and running the Guild. These are not the same thing. If you own five percent of the Evergreen Regional Guild, that does not mean you can walk into the reception hall and order every staff member around because you technically own part of the building. Share ownership gives you economic rights, certain voting rights, and a claim on distributed profits. Executive authority comes from position."

Gregor nodded slowly. "Meaning I could own shares and still have no right to interfere with, say, Caelis’s administrative work unless I actually hold a position that gives me authority over that area."

"Exactly," Sage replied. "The Guildmaster manages the organization. Regional executives manage whatever departments they’re assigned. Branch Guildmasters manage their own branches within the rules established by the Regional Headquarters. Ownership does not replace the command structure."

Vanthrice spoke next, her voice calm as she looked over the document. "Then voting rights only matter for decisions important enough to affect the Guild as an organization."