Chapter 381: Beggars Network

Sage’s eyebrow rose approvingly.

"Handlers come next," Pax continued. "Each major city has at least one. Greyvale has several because the network here is much larger. A Handler manages local sources, decides what information matters, pays people, checks whether reports contradict one another, and sends important information upward. That means I no longer receive fifty reports saying the same merchant entered the same tavern."

"Already better organized than half my Guild departments," Sage muttered.

Sage became quiet for a moment, fingers tapping against the desk as he studied Pax. "You’ve gotten frighteningly good at this."

Pax gave him a flat look. "You told me to build an intelligence network."

"I expected information. I didn’t expect you to become the king of beggars."

"I’m not calling myself that."

"Good. It sounds terrible."

"It was your suggestion."

"And I have withdrawn it."

For the first time, Pax actually smiled before turning his attention back toward the map. The brief humor faded naturally as Sage leaned forward, interested now in what the network could actually provide rather than simply how far it had spread.

Pax wisely pretended not to hear that. "The last group is what I’ve been calling Listeners. They aren’t necessarily beggars. Some work in taverns, inns, markets, stables, gambling houses, or places near noble districts. Their job is less about watching movement and more about hearing conversations. People become careless when they drink, and merchants complain loudly when they lose money. Guards gossip about orders. Mercenaries boast. Servants complain about their employers. Most important information doesn’t begin as a secret document, Guildmaster. It begins as someone talking where they think nobody important is listening."

"What are they collecting?" Sage asked. "Not theoretically. Right now, if I told you I wanted a complete report on Evergreen, what could you give me?"

Pax took a moment before answering. "Noble movements are one of the easiest things to track because nobles travel with recognizable carriages, guards, and servants. We know when several important households enter or leave major cities, which estates receive unusual visitors, and when private gatherings happen frequently enough to become suspicious. Merchant conflicts are also easy because traders rarely keep disagreements quiet. We track sudden price changes, supply shortages, unusual purchases, large shipments, and merchants attempting to pressure competitors."

He shifted another marker. "Criminal groups are harder, but we’reimproving. Beggars already know which streets belong to thieves, smugglers, gangs, and illegal lenders because they’re usually the first people those groups exploit. We also watch mercenary activity, especially companies gathering unusually large numbers of fighters or purchasing supplies for extended operations. City guard movements are reported when they change from normal patrol patterns."

Sage’s expression became increasingly serious.

"Rumors are collected but marked as unverified unless multiple unrelated sources repeat them,"

Pax continued. "Missing people receive attention if disappearances form a pattern. Strange magical activity gets reported even when our people don’t understand what they’re seeing. We monitor unusual lights, unexplained explosions, abandoned buildings suddenly being guarded, strange creatures, and people buying large amounts of magical materials. We also track food prices, weapons prices, lodging costs, transportation costs, and other thingsthat could affect Guild operations."

Sage slowly removed his glasses, cleaned them against his sleeve, and put them back on.

"And political gossip?"

Pax gave him a knowing look. "More than you would ever want to hear."

"Useful political gossip."

"Less of it, but enough."

Sage laughed quietly. "Fair."

Pax rested both hands behind his back again. "The network isn’t perfect. Information from villages can take days to reach us. Some reports are wrong. People exaggerate when they think a better story will earn more money, so Handlers have been instructed not to pay extra simply because information sounds dramatic. We also have almost no access inside the highest noble households themselves. We can see who enters and leaves, but what happens behind the walls is another matter."

"That’s fine," Sage replied. "I’d rather have reliable information from outside than rush into putting people inside and lose them. We aren’t trying to know what every noble eats for breakfast. I need warning before something becomes a problem."

That, more than anything, was why he had created the network.

The Adventurer Guild was growing too quickly for Sage to continue reacting blindly whenever trouble arrived at his doorstep.

Branches were spreading through Evergreen. Hundreds of thousands of Adventurers were registered. Merchants, nobles, mercenaries, criminals, and countlessother groups now had reasons to care about what the Guild did. Information was no longer something useful to possess.

It was becoming necessary.

Sage looked down at the map for several seconds before reaching beneath the documents covering the side of his desk.

Pax watched as he pulled out a rolled piece of parchment much larger than the regional map and cleared enough space to spread it open. Evergreen immediately became only one small portion of a far greater territory.

Cities, provinces, major roads, rivers, noble lands, and distant regions stretched across the parchment, and near the center sat the place Sage had been thinking about ever since the System issued his newest mission.

The Royal Capital.

Pax’s eyes followed Sage’s hand as one finger moved beyond Evergreen and stopped over the city.

His expression changed immediately.

Sage noticed.

"Your network has done well here," he said, keeping his finger against the map. "Better than I expected, actually. Greyvale is covered, the major cities are coming under your eyes, and eventually I want the entire Evergreen Region connected strongly enough that important information can reach us before everyone else hears it."

Pax slowly nodded. "That can be done."

"I know." Sage raised his gaze from the map.

"But Evergreen isn’t where the Guild’s future ends, and if I’m going to move into a place where every noble House, merchant faction, military official, criminal organization, and ambitious bastard has already spent generations building connections, I don’t want to arrive blind."

Pax looked once more at the Royal Capital beneath Sage’s finger.

Sage smiled. "Good. Now I need you somewhere much more dangerous."