Chapter 374: Capital Bound.

The change in Sage’s expression was enough to stop everyone from leaving.

Chairs that had already been pushed back were pulled toward the table again, and the few people who had started gathering their things slowly settled down.

The room was still filled with the aftermath of the ownership discussion, the signed contracts stacked neatly beside Lyana and the last traces of relief still visible on several faces, but that mood faded quickly once everyone realized Sage was not done.

Gregor leaned back into his chair with a slight frown, Vanthrice rested one hand against the table while keeping her eyes fixed on Sage, and Brutus looked toward Boren as if silently warning him not to interrupt whatever was coming.

Even Mina, who had been whispering something to Lyana moments earlier, became quiet and turned her attention toward Sage.

Valeria remained the calmest of them all, but her gaze sharpened enough to show she had noticed the seriousness in his tone.

Sage allowed the silence to settle before speaking. "There’s no easy way to dress this up, so I’ll just say it directly. In several months, I’ll be leaving Greyvale."

The reaction was immediate.

Gregor’s frown deepened. Lyana’s eyes widened slightly. Several of the twenty Adventurers exchanged looks, while Boren stared at Sage as though he had just announced that he was selling the Guild and becoming a fisherman.

"Leaving Greyvale?" Boren repeated, leaning forward quickly. "Boss, what exactly do you mean by leaving Greyvale? Leaving for a mission? Leaving for a few weeks? Or leaving as in packing your things, abandoning us, and disappearing into the sunset while the rest of us deal with all the paperwork?"

Sage gave him a flat look. "Why was your first thought that I’m abandoning you?"

"Because you said it in the most suspicious way possible." Boren spread his arms and shrugged, the fat on his cheeks jiggling.

Gregor nodded reluctantly. "He’s not completely wrong. You could have started with where you’re going."

Sage let out a small sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Fine. I’m not abandoning anyone. I’m going to the Royal Capital."

That answer changed the room again.

The twenty Adventurers became noticeably more attentive, and even Lyana’s surprise shifted into understanding. The Royal Capital was not simply another city. It was the political center of the Kingdom, the place where the Royal Family, the strongest noble houses, major merchant organizations, Knight Orders, Mage institutions, and countless powerful factions gathered.

Going there was never a small decision, especially for someone like Sage whose Guild had already become one of the fastest-growing organizations in the Evergreen Region.

Gregor slowly nodded as the meaning became clearer. "So this has something to do with expansion."

"Exactly," Sage replied. "The Evergreen Region is almost complete. We already have branches operating in several major cities, and at the current rate, once a few more locations are opened, there won’t be much left here that needs direct expansion from me. Evergreen will still keep growing, but growth inside one region eventually becomes maintenance and management rather than true expansion."

Sage reached toward one of the blank sheets on the table and pulled it closer. With a pen, he drew three simple levels and connected them with downward lines.

At the top he wrote: Kingdom Headquarters

Beneath it: Regional Headquarters

And beneath that: City Branches / Town Offices.

He turned the paper so everyone could see.

"This is the structure I want."

The room became quiet again as people studied the simple diagram.

Sage tapped the top line. "The Royal Capital will become the location of the Kingdom Adventurer Guild Headquarters. That headquarters will sit above every Regional Headquarters established throughout the Kingdom. Evergreen will remain one of those Regional Headquarters, based here in Greyvale."

He moved his finger downward. "Regional Headquarters oversee their own territories. Evergreen oversees the Adventurer Guild branches within the Evergreen Region. In the future, another region might have its own headquarters with its own city branches and town offices beneath it."

His finger moved to the bottom. "City branches and town offices handle local missions, registrations, merchants, supplies, Adventurer disputes, and everything else happening directly in their area. If a problem becomes too large for one branch, it moves upward to the Regional Headquarters. If a problem involves several regions or affects the Guild throughout the Kingdom, it moves upward again to the Kingdom Headquarters."

Brutus looked at the diagram for a while before nodding. "That makes sense. Otherwise, if every branch reported directly to you, you’d eventually have hundreds of people trying to speak to you every day."

"Exactly," Sage said. "That might work while the Guild has a handful of branches. It becomes impossible once we have dozens, then hundreds."

Lyana had already begun thinking about the practical side. "So the Royal Capital Headquarters won’t replace Evergreen. It will coordinate all the regions above them."

"Yes. Evergreen remains headquartered in Greyvale. The facilities here stay here. The Mana Cultivation Tower, Smithy, Adventurer District, branches, contracts, staff, and regional income remain part of Evergreen. The Kingdom Headquarters will have its own staff, finances, facilities, and responsibilities." Sage smiled softly at her and nodded his head, agreeing with her.

One of the twenty Adventurers raised a hand slightly. "Would the Royal Capital Headquarters also have normal Adventurers registering there, or would it only be administrative?"

"Both," Sage answered. "It will still function as a Guild location. There will be missions, registration, training, merchant contracts, and ordinary Adventurer services. But it will also become the center that manages the larger Guild structure throughout the Kingdom."

Vanthrice looked toward the diagram. "Then once you establish it, expansion into other regions becomes much easier."

"That’s the point." Sage nodded.

For a few moments, nobody objected.

The lack of resistance did not surprise Sage. Everyone in the room had watched the Adventurer Guild grow from an idea into something that now controlled an entire district and registered people faster than anyone had predicted.

The Guild had never been designed to remain inside Greyvale forever. The only real question had been when Sage would finally take the next step.