Chapter 341: Renewing the Guild

Solomon somehow managed to convince Ben. He practically dragged the broken man out of the dungeon. The very first thing Solomon demanded was for Ben to take a hot bath, wash himself thoroughly, and get his overgrown hair and beard professionally groomed.

When Ben finally returned from the barbershop, he looked like a completely different person. The messy, broken hermit was gone, replaced once again by the imposing presence of a seasoned S-rank adventurer.

They went to a nearby, quiet restaurant to sit down and discuss their plans.

Ben took a sip of his water and sighed. "Currently, there is only me in this guild. Even with you here, Solomon, that only makes two active members. No matter how strong we are, we cannot accomplish much if our numbers are that low."

"I need to correct you on that," Solomon interrupted, leaning back in the booth. "I am not here to join the guild on a daily basis. I will be returning to the academy. I will officially be a registered guild member on paper, but I will not be able to participate in standard guild events, local expeditions, or daily duties."

Ben was visibly confused. "Then what am I supposed to do alone?"

Solomon pointed a thumb at Paul, who was sitting nervously at the end of the table. "This is Paul. He possesses an incredibly useful spatial talent. He is highly skilled in gathering information, managing complex reports, handling financial data, and dealing with bureaucratic paperwork. He is also surprisingly excellent at video editing, choreography, and narration."

Solomon then gestured toward Iris, who sat quietly beside him, completely fascinated by the restaurant menu. "This is Iris. She will also officially join the guild. However, she will not be coming to the headquarters for daily operations. She will only arrive when there is an emergency."

Ben ran a hand over his freshly trimmed beard. "I cannot run an entire guild with just the three of you. I do not have the money or the resources to maintain a headquarters. It will take a very long time for me to review and renew my official guild license, gather the necessary starting capital, and rebuild our reputation. I do not even have a stable source of income anymore."

"There is nothing to worry about," Solomon reassured him, taking a bite of his food. He paused for a second before adding, "We have enough money to fund the guild for decades. We currently have hundreds of millions of dollars in liquid cash."

Ben was absolutely baffled. His eyes widened in shock. "Where on earth did you get that kind of money, Solomon?!"

"I worked hard for it," Solomon replied with a completely straight face.

He did not want to tell Ben that the starting capital consisted entirely of stolen money looted from a dead loan shark’s vault. Knowing Ben’s strict moral compass, the former Guild Master would undoubtedly reject the funds and stubbornly refuse to use dirty money.

Solomon did not want to deal with that exhausting drama. He was in no mood to entertain other people’s ideals and morals when establishing his revenge guild.

Just then, someone stopped by their booth.

Solomon looked up and scowled. It was Rudy Redwood.

"What are you doing here?" Solomon asked, his tone dripping with annoyance. "You really need to stop stalking people. Just because you are a detective does not mean you can constantly harass innocent civilians like this."

Rudy chuckled softly, resting a hand on the back of an empty chair. "I am actually no longer a detective."

Solomon blinked in confusion. Before he could ask what the man meant, Ben looked up and recognized him immediately.

"Rudy?" Ben called out, genuine surprise in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Solomon," Rudy responded, offering a respectful nod to the former Guild Master. "I did not want to visit his home and disturb his family, but then I spotted him walking around the commercial street earlier, so I thought I would drop by and finally meet him properly."

"We are not close enough that you have to stop and greet me," Solomon stated bluntly. "There is no need for that. I would appreciate it if you just left us alone and minded your own business."

Solomon then looked between the two older men. "Wait, do you two know each other?"

Ben nodded, a fond, sad smile touching his lips. "Rudy is a very close, old friend of mine. He even sent his daughter, Rachel, to train at my unnamed guild, when he easily could have afforded to send her to the absolute best, most elite guilds in the country."

Ben’s expression softened further. "How is your wife doing, Rudy? Is she alright? Last I heard, she was in a critical condition that made it impossible for her to stay away for more than fifteen minutes."

Rudy nodded deeply and slowly. He turned his attention entirely to Solomon. "I would like to thank you one more time, Solomon. When my wife heard the breaking news yesterday about the complete destruction of The BlueYorker’s Shield, and then heard the reports regarding the sudden, tragic deaths of every single corrupt official involved in that rigged trial... her condition changed. My bedridden wife suddenly snapped out of her shock. She is currently recovering at a miraculous speed."

Solomon let out an annoyed groan. "I am telling you for the last time, that was not my doing!"

Solomon was genuinely agitated. He really wasn’t the one responsible for, or even remotely involved in, the bizarre, accidental deaths of the corrupt judge, the jurors, and the attorneys. He hated receiving credit for assassinations he didn’t actually commit.

Rudy simply smiled, ignoring the teenager’s protests and turned back to Ben. "Are you planning to reopen your guild now that The BlueYorker’s Shield is permanently gone?"

Ben nodded slowly. "I am. But I do not have nearly enough active members to qualify for a proper license yet, although Solomon has somehow secured the necessary funding."

"There is no need to worry about members," Rudy stated firmly. "I would also like to officially join your guild."

Ben was surprised. "What about your job as a lead detective?"

"I resigned this morning," Rudy answered, pulling out an empty chair and sitting down uninvited. "I was originally planning to just retire quietly and spend the rest of my life taking care of my wife. But I spotted you guys on my way back from inspecting the destruction site. My ’Intuition’ talent is screaming at me to join this guild. I have a feeling something incredibly interesting is going to happen here."