Chapter 371: Ownership [ 1 ]

Caelis’s question settled over the conference room for a moment, and this time Sage did not answer immediately.

He looked around the round table at every person seated there, making sure they were all paying attention before he reached for one of the documents and turned it so the heading faced the group.

The words Evergreen Regional Guild Shares were written clearly across the top, and Sage tapped the title lightly with one finger.

"This part is important, so I want everyone to understand it properly before we go any further. The shares you’re receiving are specifically tied to the Evergreen Regional Guild. They do not mean you own part of every Adventurer Guild branch that will ever exist in Eldoria, and they do not automatically give you ownership over future regions, kingdoms, or territories where the Guild expands.

What you own is a percentage of the Evergreen Regional Headquarters here in Greyvale and the regional network operating under it. That includes the branches established across the Evergreen Region, the facilities controlled directly by this Regional Headquarters, and the income and assets legally assigned to this regional organization."

Gregor leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the table as he studied the document again with a more serious expression. "So if the Guild opens another branch in Riverdale, Stonebridge, or anywhere else inside Evergreen, that branch still falls under this same ownership structure because it’s part of the regional network. But if you leave Evergreen and open a headquarters somewhere completely different, we don’t automatically own a piece of that."

"Exactly," Sage replied, pleased that Gregor had caught on so quickly.

"Think of Evergreen as one complete regional organization. The city branches beneath it are part of that organization. Their operations are local, but they ultimately belong to the Evergreen Regional Guild structure.

If we later establish another Regional Headquarters in a different region, that will be a separate organization under the larger Adventurer Guild system. It may have its own assets, its own finances, its own leadership, and possibly its own share structure depending on how I decide to organize things later."

That explanation immediately made several of the twenty Adventurers begin looking through their documents again, and Sage could see the idea becoming clearer in their faces.

The distinction sounded small at first, but it mattered. Without it, the moment the Adventurer Guild expanded beyond Evergreen, every ownership claim would become tangled.

Someone owning a few percent of Evergreen could suddenly argue that they also owned part of every new branch built in places they had never visited, funded, or helped establish. Sage had no intention of allowing that kind of confusion to become a future problem.

Gregor raised another question almost immediately. "Then what happens with the Royal Capital? You already said you plan to establish a Kingdom Headquarters there. Does that headquarters belong to Evergreen, or does Evergreen belong to it?"

Sage smiled faintly. "Evergreen will belong under it in the organizational sense, but not in the sense that all of Evergreen’s property suddenly becomes Royal Capital property. The Kingdom Headquarters will sit above all Regional Headquarters in authority.

Think of it as the main coordinating center for the entire Adventurer Guild within the Kingdom. It will oversee standards, expansion, major policies, large-scale missions that involve several regions, and disputes that cannot be settled locally. But Evergreen will still keep its own books, assets, staff, facilities, and operating structure."

He paused, then continued in a more deliberate tone. "So if the Kingdom eventually has ten Regional Headquarters, all ten will answer upward to the Kingdom Headquarters, but each region still remains its own economic body. That way the system stays clean.

If Evergreen earns profit, that profit belongs first to Evergreen according to its own rules. If the Kingdom Headquarters needs funding, there can be agreed contributions or percentages flowing upward, just like local branches contribute to the Regional Headquarters. But owning five percent of Evergreen does not mean you own five percent of the entire Kingdom Guild."

Gregor nodded slowly. "That actually makes more sense. Otherwise someone could buy into one region and somehow claim rights over everything built afterward."

"Exactly."

Brutus had been following the explanation with a thoughtful frown, one hand resting against his jaw while the other turned a page back and forth. After a while he looked up. "Then let me ask something simpler. Can I sell my shares to anyone I want? Say some noble offers me a stupid amount of gold for my three and a half percent. Can I take the money and walk away?"

Sage answered immediately. "No."

Brutus raised an eyebrow. "That was fast."

"It needs to be fast," Sage replied. "If shareholders could sell freely to anyone, the Guild would eventually become vulnerable to people who never built it, never served it, and possibly want to control or destroy it. Imagine ten nobles quietly buying shares from different members until together they own enough of Evergreen to interfere with major decisions. That will not be allowed."

Vanthrice tilted her head slightly.

"So transfers require approval."

"Yes. Any sale, gift, transfer, or inheritance outside the agreed rules must be recognized by the Guild. Current shareholders can sell back to the Guild, transfer to approved members, or make arrangements within whatever limits the contract allows, but no outsider gets ownership simply because they offered enough money."

Boren immediately looked worried. "What if the outsider offers a truly unreasonable amount of money?"

Gregor gave him a flat look. "Of course that’s the part you focused on."

Boren ignored him and looked straight at Sage. "I’m asking for legal clarity. Suppose someone comes to me with a carriage full of gold and says, ’Boren, my dear friend, allow me to purchase your shares.’ What am I supposed to do?"

"Say no."

"What if there are two carriages?"

"Still no."

"Three?"

Sage stared at him. "Boren."

Fine, fine. I’m just testing the strength of the rule." Boren waved his hands as he said.

A few people laughed, and even Brutus smiled as he shook his head.

Vanthrice waited until the noise settled before asking her own question. "What about inheritance? If one of us dies, what happens to the shares?"