Chapter 372: Ownership [ 2 ]

Sage’s expression became more serious.

"Ownership can be inherited, but voting rights are a separate matter. If your heir is competent, reaches the required age, and meets the conditions written into the contract, they can eventually inheritthe full rights. But I don’t want a five-year-old child suddenly holding voting power in major Guild decisions because their parent died. The economic value can pass to the heir while voting rights remain suspended or managed by a legal guardian until the heir qualifies."

Lyana, who had been reading through the documents much more carefully than most of the room, finally looked up.

Lyana was clearly thinking from the perspective of someone who actually worked inside the Guild and understood how the branches functioned day to day.

"Then branch income should also be clearly separated from Regional Headquarters income, right? If Riverdale earns money, does all of that come here, or does the branch keep most of it and only send a percentage upward?"

Sage nodded approvingly. "The second one. Each city branch needs its own operating funds because it has salaries, repairs, supplies, training costs, local missions, and emergencies. We cannot drain every branch dry just to make the Regional Headquarters look rich. So each branch keeps whatever amount is required to operate properly, then contributes an agreed percentage of its eligible revenue upward to Evergreen."

Lyana leaned forward slightly. "And Evergreen uses that contribution for things that benefit the entire region."

"Exactly. Regional expansion, helping weak branches, opening new branches, emergency support, branch construction, large-scale missions, training systems, infrastructure, regional security, transporting resources between cities, and anything too large for one local branch to handle alone. Evergreen is not meant to sit here collecting money. It’s meant to support the whole regional network."

That explanation seemed to satisfy her, and several of the other Adventurers noddedas well. It also made the structure feel far more real.

The city branches were not simply smaller versions of the Guild paying tribute to Greyvale. They were functioning local organizations connected to a larger support system.

Boren, predictably, raised his hand again. "I have another important financial question."

Gregor groaned. "Of course you do."

Boren ignored him. "When do shareholders actually get paid? Is it monthly? Every three months? Every year? Because if I own part of Evergreen, I would like to know when Evergreen remembers that I exist."

Sage folded his arms. "Shareholders only receive distributions when there is distributable profit."

Boren’s face immediately changed.

He looked personally offended by the word.

"’If’ there is distributable profit?"

"Yes."

"I don’t like the ’if.’"

"It is staying."

Boren leaned back in his chair with a troubled expression. "That word sounds dangerous."

Sage laughed quietly. "Profit does not mean every coin the Guild earns. Before anything is distributed, the Guild pays salaries, operating costs, facility maintenance, branch support, taxes, emergency reserves, expansion budgets, and other obligations. Whatever remains after those responsibilities are covered can be considered distributable profit. Some periods may have large distributions. Other periods may have none because the money is better used for growth."

Gregor nodded. "So owning shares isn’t the same as collecting free money forever."

"Correct."Boren looked deeply disappointed.

Mina, who had been listening with surprising patience, glanced at him and smiled. "Uncle Boren, you look like someone stole your food."

"They stole something worse.

Expectations."

The room laughed again before Sage raised one hand and pulled the discussion back toward the documents.

He pointed toward another section halfway down the page. "There are also legal protections built into this. The Guild will maintain an official shareholder registry. The registry matters more than the paper in your hand. If the certificate is lost, burned, stolen, or destroyed, your ownership does not disappear because the Guild has the original record."

He continued while everyone followed along. "Every shareholder receives a signed certificate stating their percentage, voting rights, profit rights, transfer restrictions, inheritance rules, and buyback terms. There are also clauses covering betrayal, criminal actions against the Guild, joining hostile organizations, and attempts to secretly transfer ownership to prohibited parties."

Brutus frowned. "Betrayal clause?"

"If someone becomes an enemy of the Guild, they do not get to keep using their shares as a weapon against it. Depending on what happened, the Guild can force a buyback under predetermined rules. That does not mean I can simply accuse someone of betrayal because they disagree with me. The conditions have to be serious and provable."

Vanthrice gave a slow nod. "Good. Otherwise the clause itself could become a weapon."

"Exactly why it needs to be written properly."

One of the twenty Adventurers asked whether a shareholder could voluntarily leave the Guild and still keep ownership.

Sage explained that honorable retirement would not automatically remove ownership, while active membership and executive authority were separate matters.

Another asked if shares could be used as collateral for loans. Sage immediately said not without Guild approval, because allowing outside lenders to seize shares after default would defeat the transfer restrictions.

Lyana asked whether shareholders would receive access to major financial reports, and Sage confirmed they would, though sensitive information would still be restricted when necessary for security.

By the time the questions slowed down, almost everyone looked far more comfortable with the idea than they had at the beginning.

It was no longer a vague promise that they "owned part of the Guild."

There were rules behind it, limits, responsibilities, protections, and a clear difference between ownership and management.

Sage could tell some of them still didn’t understand every legal detail, but that was normal.

Even in his previous world, people signed contracts they barely understood. His job was to make sure nobody could later claim they had been tricked.

Sage finally leaned back and let out a slow breath. "That’s the basic structure. The final wording still needs to be reviewed, but the important parts are all there. Evergreen remains Evergreen. The Kingdom Headquarters will sit above it later, but it won’t erase your ownership here. Your shares have value, but they do not give unlimited authority. Transfers are restricted, inheritance is protected, and the Guild keeps the final ownership registry."

Boren looked relieved for all of three seconds before Sage reached beside his chair and placed his hand on another stack of papers.

This stack was much larger.Much thicker.

Several people’s expressions immediately changed.

Sage pushed the pile toward the center of the table.

"Those are the contracts."

Everyone stared.

Boren slowly looked from the contracts to Sage, then back to the contracts again.

His face gradually filled with horror.

"Why does owning money require so much reading?"