Building The First Adventurer Guild In Another World

For several moments after Sage announced that he had another idea, nobody in the second-floor lounge said anything.

The room had already spent more than an hour arguing over gold, weapons, books, Skill Stones, rare materials, and how much each person deserved, yet the discussion had only grown more complicated with every suggestion.

Some wanted an equal division, others wanted rewards based on contribution, while a few believed the Guild should hold the rarest items until they could be properly identified.

Sage had already offered to take far less than everyone believed he deserved, and the refusal had been nearly unanimous. Now every person in the room watched him carefully, waiting to hear what new method he had come up with.

Boren still hugged his heavy sack of gold against his chest, Mina sat beside the nearest pile of coins with several already hidden inside her pockets, Gregor leaned forward with his arms resting on the table, and Caelis held his pen above the papers before him, ready to record whatever Sage said next.

Even Valeria, who had remained quiet through most of the discussion, shifted her gaze fully toward him.

Sage rested both hands on the table and slowly looked around the room before speaking. "Instead of dividing every treasure between us right now, we let the Guild keep everything. The Skill Stones, ancient books, weapons, armor, rare ores, Mana crystals, herbs, artifacts, and most of the gold all remain under the ownership of the Evergreen Region Guild Branch. In return, everyone who took part in the Vault expedition receives shares in the branch."

The silence that followed was even deeper than before.

Gregor blinked once, then frowned.

"Shares?"

Brutus looked toward Caelis as though expecting him to understand, but Caelis appeared just as confused.

Boren narrowed his eyes suspiciously, while Mina quietly repeated the word beneath her breath as though trying to decide whether it sounded valuable.

The twenty elite adventurers exchanged glances with one another, but none of them seemed willing to admit they did not understand what Sage was talking about.

Finally, Boren raised one hand.

"Boss, before we agree to anything, I think you should explain what a share is. Is it a special kind of coin? A written promise? Some kind of noble title? Because if it is only a piece of paper saying I own treasure while you keep the actual treasure, I would like to respectfully say that sounds like robbery wearing expensive clothes."

A few people laughed, but several nodded because the same thought had clearly crossed their minds.

Sage had expected the confusion. The idea was normal to him because of the world he came from, but in Eldoria, ownership was usually direct. A person owned land, a weapon, a business, a mine, or a share of a merchant caravan through clear partnership agreements.

The idea of dividing an organization into percentages and allowing those portions to gain value over time was not completely impossible, but it was unfamiliar enough that he needed to explain it carefully.

"A share is proof that you own a small part of something larger," Sage began. "In this case, that larger thing is the Evergreen Region Guild Branch. The branch owns this Guild Hall, the Mana Cultivation Tower, the Guild Smithy, the training grounds, the stores and facilities under our control, the contracts we have signed, the income from missions and services, and, if we agree today, the treasures recovered from the Vault. Instead of taking a pile of gold now and walking away with nothing else, each of you would own a percentage of the branch itself."

Gregor slowly rubbed his chin. "So let me make sure I understand. If I own a share, I don’t personally own one room in the Guild Hall or one corner of the Smithy. I own a small piece of the whole branch?"

"Exactly," Sage replied. "You cannot walk into the Smithy and claim one furnace because you own shares. The property remains under the Guild’s control, but part of its value belongs to you."

Gregor thought about it for several seconds before asking another question. "What does that actually give us? Gold every month? A vote? Access to the treasures? Or is it only something valuable if the Guild is sold?"

"That depends on how we write the agreement," Sage explained.

"I propose three main benefits. First, when the Evergreen Region Branch makes a profit beyond its operating costs and reserves, part of that profit can be distributed among shareholders according to the percentage they own. Second, shareholders can vote on major decisions, though daily management will remain with the Guildmaster and appointed executives. Third, if the branch continues growing, the value of each share grows with it."

Gregor nodded slowly, clearly beginning to understand, but Brutus raised a much larger concern. "Can shares be stolen? If someone kills me and takes the contract, do they suddenly own my part of the Guild?"

"No," Sage answered immediately. "The contract will be registered with the Guild, and the record of ownership will remain in our ledgers. A stolen document proves nothing by itself. Shares can only be transferred with the owner’s approval and the Guild’s recognition. We can also add restrictions preventing anyone from selling them to enemies, noble houses, or outside organizations without permission."

Brutus relaxed slightly. "Good. I don’t like the idea of some noble cutting my throat and walking away with part of the Guild."

Boren was still thinking hard, which was usually a dangerous sign. After a while, his eyes brightened. "If we own the Guild, does that mean we eat for free forever? Because technically the Guild kitchen would partly belong to us, and I feel that should come with certain benefits."

Gregor closed his eyes.

Brutus groaned.

Mina shook her head as though deeply disappointed in him.

Sage stared at Boren for a moment before answering. "No. Your shares do not give you the right to empty the kitchen whenever you feel hungry."

Boren hugged his gold sack tighter. "Then we need to discuss the value of these shares more carefully."

"They earn you profit."

"Can the profit be paid in food?"

"If you use the gold to buy food, yes."

Boren considered that and slowly nodded.

"Acceptable."

Mina immediately raised her hand next, sitting straighter on her chair with the serious expression of someone about to negotiate the future of an empire. "Can I own more shares than petty uncle Sage?"

Everyone turned toward her.

Sage leaned back slightly. "Why do you want more shares than me?"

"So I can become your boss." Mina grinned sheepishly at him.

A burst of laughter spread around the room, and even several of the elite adventurers who had remained tense throughout the meeting could not hold back.

Sage rubbed his temple while Mina continued looking at him with complete seriousness.

"That is not how it works," he told her. "Owning more shares does not automatically make you Guildmaster."

"But if I own most of the Guild, shouldn’t everyone listen to me?"

"You would use your authority to order the kitchen to make sweets every day."

Mina’s eyes brightened. "That proves I have good leadership ideas."