Chapter 545: A Kingdom of Opportunities

The following morning, the meeting room on the upper floor of the Adventurer Guild Headquarters was considerably more crowded than usual.

An enormous map of Westmark occupied the center of the conference table, surrounded by administrative reports, financial records, and several documents detailing the Guild’s existing operations. Fifteen regions had been outlined across the map, with Kingsford and Evergreen marked as the organization’s two principal centers of administration.

Sage sat at the head of the table, examining the assembled participants with a satisfied expression.

Boren and Lyana occupied neighboring seats, already comparing documents, while Tobias had brought several maps illustrating the Kingdom’s major roads and commercial routes. Irene sat beside him with a thick ledger, and Garran Holt had prepared a collection of reports concerning mission administration.

Gregor, Valeria, and Vanthrice completed the gathering.

"Well, everyone," Sage began, leaning back in his chair, "yesterday I announced that we’re going to expand throughout Westmark. Today, we’re going to discuss how to accomplish that without bankrupting ourselves."

Irene immediately looked up from her ledger. "I’m delighted you’ve finally decided to consider that possibility, Guildmaster."

Gregor burst into laughter. "Looks like the Guildmaster has already offended the person holding the money."

Sage gave Irene an injured look. "Irene, you make it sound as though I spend gold recklessly."

Irene opened her ledger and calmly turned several pages. "Would you like me to read out your construction expenditures from last month, Guildmaster?"

"Actually, I think we should begin with logistics," Sage replied without hesitation.

The room erupted into laughter.

Tobias shook his head before spreading his transportation maps across the table.

"Then I’ll begin, Guildmaster. If we’re serious about expanding beyond the Royal Region, transportation will become one of our greatest challenges."

He pointed toward several major roads connecting Kingsford to the surrounding regions.

"Supplying a branch within the capital is relatively straightforward. We have warehouses, established merchants, and regular deliveries. But a Headquarters several regions away cannot depend entirely upon supplies transported from Kingsford."

Lyana examined the routes carefully. "Especially if the roads become impassable during certain seasons."

"Exactly," Tobias replied. "Heavy rainfall, damaged bridges, dangerous Magical Beasts, and bandit activity can delay caravans for days. Some territories also impose tolls or require special authorization for large commercial shipments."

Vanthrice folded her arms. "And the farther a caravan travels, the more expensive its protection becomes."

Tobias nodded appreciatively. "Which means we’ll need regional supply arrangements rather than transporting everything from the Royal Capital."

Sage considered the suggestion.

The Guild already maintained relationships with numerous merchants, but extending those arrangements across Westmark would require careful negotiation.

"Then we establish regional supply centers," Sage proposed. "Important branches can maintain warehouses, while smaller branches purchase ordinary necessities from nearby merchants."

Tobias nodded. "That would be considerably more practical, Guildmaster. However, we’ll need reliable suppliers and transportation agreements before opening each branch."

"Add that to the requirements," Sage instructed.

Lyana made a note before looking toward Irene.

"And now comes the part the Guildmaster has been avoiding."

Irene’s expression remained perfectly composed as she opened her ledger.

"Funding," she announced.

Sage sighed. "I was hoping we’d forgotten about that."

"Unfortunately, Guildmaster, buildings don’t construct themselves," Irene replied. "Nor do employees work without salaries, regardless of how inspiring your ambitions might be."

Gregor grinned. "You could always ask the Guildmaster to give one of his famous speeches. Maybe the workers will be so moved they’ll forget about payment."

Sage pointed toward him. "Gregor, remind me why I invited you?"

"Because I’m the world’s first Adventurer," Gregor answered proudly.

Valeria regarded him with her usual cold expression. "A remarkable achievement. Perhaps you can use it to pay the construction workers."

Vanthrice laughed while Gregor looked thoroughly betrayed.

Irene waited for the laughter to subside before continuing.

"Every new branch will require property, construction materials, furnishings, equipment, salaries, security, and operating reserves. Larger Headquarters will also need training facilities, storage buildings, medical services, and accommodation for visiting Adventurers."

She placed a preliminary expenditure estimate upon the table.

"Even if we build gradually, the total commitment will be enormous. And that’s before considering unexpected expenses."

Sage examined the figures.

The Guild possessed substantial revenue from its existing operations, including mission services, commercial facilities, and Dungeon Pass sales. Nevertheless, opening branches throughout fifteen regions would require considerably more than simply spending whatever money happened to be available.

"We won’t build everything at once," Sage said. "Each branch must be capable of supporting its ordinary expenses before we commit resources to the next stage."

Irene nodded approvingly. "That’s a considerably more reassuring answer, Guildmaster."

"Don’t sound so surprised," Sage replied.

Boren chuckled. "You’ve occasionally given us reasons to worry."

Sage decided to ignore him.

Garran then opened his reports.

"There’s another problem we need to consider, Guildmaster. Mission standards."

He distributed several documents detailing the Guild’s existing procedures.

"At present, Evergreen and Kingsford follow the same fundamental regulations. Missions are evaluated before being posted, Adventurers receive assignments appropriate to their ranks, and completed requests are recorded for verification."

Lyana nodded. "The procedures are familiar to both branches, although Kingsford handles a much greater volume."

"Precisely," Garran replied. "But once we establish branches across distant regions, we’ll need to ensure that every office follows those standards consistently."

Gregor leaned forward. "You mean preventing someone from giving a beginner an assignment meant for an experienced Adventurer?"

"Among other things," Garran answered. "Incorrect mission classifications could get people killed. We also need consistent reward procedures, reliable completion records, and clear regulations for disputes between Adventurers and clients."

Sage’s expression became serious.

The Adventurer Guild had earned its reputation by providing Warriors with a dependable system for finding work. Allowing individual branches to disregard those principles would undermine everything they had accomplished.

"Every branch follows the same regulations," Sage declared. "No exceptions simply because a local noble or wealthy merchant wants special treatment."

Garran nodded firmly. "Then we’ll need trained administrators who understand those regulations before we begin opening additional offices."

Lyana tapped her notes. "Which brings us to personnel. We can hire ordinary employees locally, but the people supervising registration, missions, and finances will require proper training."

Boren agreed. "We’ll also need regional managers capable of overseeing several branches without referring every minor decision to Kingsford."

Sage looked toward the map.

"Then we establish a management structure that can grow with the Guild. Kingsford can coordinate the overall organization, while regional offices supervise their respective branches."

"That would prevent Headquarters from becoming overwhelmed," Lyana observed. "Although we’ll need clear boundaries concerning which decisions regional managers can make independently."

Sage nodded. "Prepare a proposal. I want capable people making ordinary decisions without waiting for my approval every time someone needs to purchase a chair."

Irene glanced toward him. "Provided those chairs are reasonably priced, Guildmaster."

Gregor laughed again.

The discussion then shifted toward security.

Vanthrice pointed toward several distant territories marked on the map.

"Some of these regions have serious problems with bandits and Magical Beasts. If we’re establishing branches there, we’ll need more than receptionists and mission clerks."

Valeria examined the same territories before speaking in her usual impassive manner. "A Guild branch that cannot protect its own employees won’t inspire much confidence among the people living nearby."

Gregor nodded. "And Adventurers won’t always be available to defend the building. They could be away completing missions."

Boren considered their observations.

"Cassian will need to develop security requirements for different branch sizes. Smaller offices may only require a modest permanent guard force, while regional Headquarters will need considerably stronger protection."

Sage agreed.

"Ask Cassian to prepare recommendations. We should also consider agreements with local authorities, particularly where the Guild’s presence could improve regional security."

Tobias looked up from his maps. "That introduces another difficulty, Guildmaster. We can’t simply purchase land and begin constructing Headquarters wherever we please."

Sage nodded knowingly. "The nobles."

"Exactly," Tobias replied. "Different territories have different regulations concerning property, construction, commerce, and armed organizations. Some rulers may welcome us, but others could demand concessions or refuse permission entirely."

Lyana frowned thoughtfully. "And even if a noble grants permission, we need to know whether that agreement remains valid when the territory changes hands."

Boren added, "We should also ensure that branch employees aren’t subjected to arbitrary interference from local officials."

For several moments, the room grew quiet.

The discussion had revealed something Sage had already begun to suspect during his conversations with Lucan.

Money could purchase buildings, and competent administrators could manage them. But neither could guarantee the Guild’s right to operate across territories controlled by powerful noble families.

Political cooperation would be essential.

"We’ll negotiate with the appropriate authorities before establishing each branch," Sage said eventually. "And we’ll make sure our agreements protect the Guild’s operations and the Adventurers who depend upon them."

Irene nodded. "Written agreements would also help protect our investments."

"Exactly," Sage replied. "I don’t intend to spend thousands of gold constructing a Headquarters only for someone to decide they want to take control of it."

Gregor folded his arms. "I’d like to see them try."

Valeria turned her cold gaze toward him. "You would probably challenge the entire noble household to a fight."

Gregor grinned. "Only if they deserved it."

Vanthrice shook her head. "And that’s why we’re discussing administration instead of letting Gregor negotiate everything."

Sage chuckled before returning his attention to the map. "Listen, everyone. I want the Guild to expand, but I don’t want us rushing into something we can’t manage. We’ll establish branches gradually, train the necessary personnel, secure reliable funding, and make arrangements with local authorities."

He looked around the table. "Every new branch should strengthen the Guild, not become a burden that threatens everything we’ve already built."

The others nodded in agreement.

Over the following hour, they continued discussing possible locations, staffing requirements, and the order in which regional offices might be established.

Lyana and Boren began organizing the administrative proposals, while Tobias and Irene agreed to prepare more detailed estimates. Garran would review the training requirements for mission personnel, and Vanthrice offered to assist with evaluating security arrangements.

Gregor volunteered to help prepare experienced Adventurers for assignments outside their familiar territories.

Valeria, meanwhile, expressed interest in the more dangerous regions where powerful Magical Beasts were known to appear.

By the time the meeting approached its conclusion, the table had become covered in notes and preliminary plans.

Sage examined the documents with satisfaction.

They had accomplished more than simply discussing an ambitious dream.

They had begun turning it into something practical.

"Good work, everyone," Sage said, stretching his shoulders. "Now all we need is a few dozen cooperative nobles, several capable administrators, reliable merchants, and an unreasonable amount of gold."

Irene closed her ledger. "I would appreciate it if you stopped mentioning the gold so casually, Guildmaster."

Gregor laughed while Lyana gathered her documents.

However, just as everyone began preparing to leave, Boren reached into his folder and withdrew another sheet of parchment.

"Actually, Guildmaster, there’s something I haven’t shown you yet."

Sage looked toward him.

"What is it?"

Boren placed the document upon the table.

"Since news of the Guild’s success in Kingsford began spreading, we’ve received several inquiries from officials outside the Royal Region. Some were merely curious, but others expressed genuine interest in establishing Guild branches within their territories."

Lyana immediately stopped gathering her papers.

Tobias leaned forward.

Sage examined the document with renewed attention.

Boren tapped the first entry before continuing.

"I’ve compiled a list of the regional authorities who have already contacted us, Guildmaster."

Sage slowly raised his eyebrows.

It appeared that the Guild’s expansion might have interested certain nobles long before he formally announced his intentions.