Future Returns, Tenfold or Hundredfold

A burly old man stood before a map.

He wore a well-tailored set of everyday clothes, and the hair at his temples had already turned gray.

Most striking was the bristly beard on his chin, hard as steel needles. It lifted slightly whenever he pursed his lips, giving him an air of authority without anger.

This was Necros, the president and helmsman of Grayrock Town's Adventurers' Guild.

There were two other people in the room.

On the left stood a troubled-looking middle-aged man. He was Vice President Homan, and also Nia's uncle.

On the right stood a plump middle-aged woman. She was Martha, the guild's chief quartermaster.

Today was the first day of the large-scale joint clearing operation.

The three had gathered here for urgent intelligence revisions and battle-loss assessments.

"Here..."

Necros picked up a quill and heavily crossed out a location on the map that had originally been marked as an ordinary danger zone.

"Who the hell was responsible for scouting this Goblin stronghold?"

The old man's voice was low, suppressing the anger on the verge of erupting.

"Did he grow up eating shit?"

"Such an obvious mutated nest was labeled as an ordinary gathering site? If that squad hadn't reacted quickly and split up on their own, the entire team would have been wiped out there today!"

He redrew a new attack route on the map, his pen tip nearly tearing through the parchment.

"The three-stage relay route must be revised immediately. Otherwise, we're sending people to their deaths!"

He had originally formulated the tactics with the most generous budget and the most conservative plan.

Yet the casualty list had appeared as soon as the operation began. This was an utterly serious failure of the intelligence work.

Necros slammed the quill onto the table and turned toward the vice president.

"Homan, look into it. Drag out the idiot responsible for that scouting report."

"Have the punishment posted on the notice board tomorrow morning. We owe everyone an explanation."

As he said this, the old man's gaze softened slightly, though his tone remained harsh.

"Also, double the compensation for the adventurers who died today."

"Yes."

Homan nodded, rapidly writing with the pen in his hand while silently calculating just how large an additional expense this would be.

At that moment, Martha, who had remained silent until then, spoke up, her voice heavy with concern.

"President, there is more bad news."

She glanced at the two leaders and hesitated before continuing.

"The supplies sent to the vanguard today were consumed far faster than expected."

"Especially the reserve hemostatic potions. Our stock is basically depleted."

"What?!"

Necros cried out, his pitch abruptly rising. Even his beard trembled twice.

"It's only the first day! How could they have gone through them so quickly?"

Homan sighed and added at the appropriate moment.

"I verified today's battle records."

"Because of the magical turbulence inside the forest, those monsters have become unusually frenzied. Their aggression is far stronger than usual."

"That caused the intensity of combat to soar, and the injury rate has far exceeded our projections."

The office fell into a brief silence.

Necros stared at the red flags on the map, deep in thought.

At this rate of consumption, the guild's planned funds probably would not last until the operation ended.

Martha carefully watched the president's expression and asked tentatively.

"President... should we reduce the later supplies a little?"

"No!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Necros rejected them without hesitation.

"Absolutely not!"

The old man braced both hands against the edge of the table, his gaze exceptionally firm.

"Every adventurer is an irreplaceable treasure of Grayrock Town."

"Every copper coin we spend on them now will earn us back tenfold or a hundredfold once those Violet Academy students arrive."

Necros took a deep breath, calming himself, then pointed to the area on the map that was about to be cleared.

"Our top priority now is to spare no expense in ensuring that this training area is cleared completely before those students arrive."

"If even one well-connected noble student dies, the compensation alone will truly bankrupt us!"

He paced back and forth through the room, his heavy boots producing dull thuds against the floor.

After a while, he stopped and looked at Martha.

"Martha."

"Yes."

The plump woman hurriedly answered.

"The rewards from this month's mission settlements, as well as the subsidy issued by the higher guild, arrived today."

"Tomorrow, contact Morwenna Potion Shop and the Silver Bottle Alchemy Firm. Have their people come over."

"Tell them we need to finalize a procurement plan for Troll's Blood tomorrow."

"President, this..."

Homan could not help speaking up to stop him.

"If we procure according to this level of consumption, the reward funds after the guild completes the clearing operation may not be enough to distribute."

As the chief steward responsible for approving guild funds, Homan was the most sensitive to the figures on the books.

This joint clearing operation was, in essence, a gamble.

Its purpose was to stimulate Grayrock Town's cash flow through a large-scale joint clearing operation, while revitalizing the entire guild's economy by bringing in the academy's resources.

But that required extremely precise control over the flow of funds.

If any link overspent, the fragile financial chain could snap at any moment, triggering a cascade of collapses.

Because of the earlier shortage of funds, they had only signed part of the procurement plan.

And with time so tight, they could only supply the vanguard first. The logistical supplies for the later teams also had to be settled tomorrow.

Time was extremely tight as well.

As for the Troll's Blood procurement budget, it was nowhere near enough if they replenished it based on the current consumption rate.

"My suggestion is... even if we do not reduce supplies, we could moderately lower the standards for assessing the wounded."

Homan presented his alternative proposal.

"For instance, some minor injuries could be treated with cheaper herbal powder. There is no need to use expensive finished potions for all of them."

"Rejected."

Necros did not even glance at him as he directly vetoed it.

"You're treating human lives like a joke."

"You want them to risk their wounds festering while they fight Jackalmen to the death?"

"The quality of the potions must be guaranteed."

The old man's tone was hard as iron.

"Only by keeping people sufficiently combat-capable on the front lines can we win this battle."

Homan opened his mouth, but ultimately shut it helplessly.

He knew his old partner's temperament. Once Necros made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back.

Necros rubbed his throbbing temples, then turned to Martha, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness and expectation.

"Then we'll have to find a way at the negotiating table."

"Tomorrow, renegotiate with Morwenna and the others."

"Tell them we're buying a large quantity and have them lower the price."

"Or..."

"Ask whether they have any newly developed potions that cost less but can achieve seventy or eighty percent of Troll's Blood's effects."