Chapter 168: New Mission

Chapter 168: New Mission The moment Sage issued the command, the air before him shimmered.


Floating holographic panels rearranged themselves, collapsing inward before expanding into organized layers of structured data.


Lines of light slid into place like pages turning in a living book, and new windows opened one after another, each framed in translucent blue and etched with elegant sigils. The system’s voice resonated softly within his mind.


[Displaying newly unlocked facility data.]


The first projection unfolded prominently: The Adventurer Inn. A detailed architectural model rotated slowly in mid-air, its six floors peeling apart into sectional layers. Each level revealed long corridors lined with private rooms, shared halls, training suites, and equipment storage vaults.


This inn was more than just a place to sleep; it was a living complex designed to stabilize, sustain, and subtly enhance its residents. Built-in restorative formations lined the walls, temperature regulation arrays ensured constant comfort, and emergency reinforcement seals could isolate floors during attacks or magical accidents.


As Sage skimmed through the textual information scrolling beside the model, he narrowed his eyes slightly in appreciation.


The Inn allowed for long-term resident adventurers and enabled rotating occupancy tiers while supporting contracted personnel, cooks, cleaners, supply managers, security detachments.


Most importantly, it generated steady income through room fees, long-term leases, premium cultivation suites, a self-sustaining residential economy.


Sage exhaled slowly as the second projection expanded: The Adventurer Restaurant. Its interior unfolded like a grand culinary arena with massive kitchens equipped with large furnaces and preservation chambers.


Ingredient vaults were segmented by elemental compatibility while preparation zones were layered by beast material order. Dining halls ranged from communal refectories to exclusive high-tier chambers reserved for veteran teams or VIP contractors.


The system scrolled nutritional data: magical beast cuisine, potion-infused meals, stat-augmenting recipes, long-term constitution enhancement diets and temporary buff consumables.


Sage’s pupils glinted; this was not merely food but controlled power distribution. If he hired skilled chefs, true culinarians who could break down fourth-order and fifth-order magical beast materials into consumable strength, the Guild would not only feed adventurers but also shape their growth curves.


This meant influence and dependence and profits that would be absurdly high.


He envisioned contracted hunting teams supplying beast carcasses directly to the Guild; chefs processing them into enhancement meals, adventurers purchasing meals that made them stronger and faster, those same adventurers clearing higher ranked dungeons, their earnings increasing, the Guild taking its cut, a closed loop feeding back into itself.


Sage nodded faintly as the third projection appeared: The Smithy. The hologram widened dramatically as it unfolded into nested rings of forging halls, smelting pits, enchantment chambers, refinement laboratories, and blueprint archives. Mana conduits glowed like veins along its internal walls.


Storage sectors were organized based on metal type, elemental affinity, and the integration of monster materials. The system showcased potential outputs: weapon forging, armor construction, artifact maintenance, emergency repairs, and custom commissions.


Sage almost chuckled. Adventurers relied heavily on their equipment, weapons broke, armor degraded, artifacts destabilized and fixing each of these issues came at a cost.


If he could recruit a top-tier blacksmith with a renowned name, the Adventurer Guild Smithy would quickly overshadow independent workshops.


Adventurers preferred to repair their gear where they fought, upgrade it where they rested, and commission new items where they registered. Convenience would lead to dominance; that dominance would become inevitable without any need for coercion, the ecosystem would naturally adapt.


Then... the final projection appeared: the Mana Cultivation Tower. The hologram soared upward, requiring Sage to tilt his head slightly to take in its full height. Floor by floor, the tower revealed itself, layered cultivation rooms adorned with intricate mana formations.


At its core glowed a spiraling mass of condensed mana flow. Here, the information stream was richer and denser than anywhere else. Each room within the Mana Cultivation Tower featured a Mana Gathering Formation that automatically collected ambient mana from the air.


And according to the system the mana density on the first floor was ten times greater than outside, this means that cultivating for just one day inside a room on the first floor is equivalent to cultivating ten days on the outside world.


By the time you reached the fifth floor, mana density increased to fifty times that of the outside environment, one day spent cultivating there was like fifty days outside.


As Sage absorbed this information, his breath caught in his throat and excitement coursed through him as his mind raced with possibilities.


This was it, the ultimate source of wealth. This Mana Cultivation Tower is the god of money.


In this world, power equated to existence; cultivation was an expensive endeavor that people would pay handsomely for elixirs promising rapid strength gains.


The Mana Cultivation Tower promised structured growth on an institutional scale.


It would never stand empty, never.


He let the holograms fade slowly and took a moment to stand amidst monumental stone structures and towering banners while distant waters flowed nearby and silent statues loomed around him. Numbers and possibilities danced behind his eyes.


A deep sense of satisfaction washed over him. This wasn’t mere improvisation anymore; this was infrastructure.


With an Adventurer Inn, he could house members; with a restaurant, he could feed them while enhancing their experience; through a smithy, he could equip them profitably; and with the Mana Tower, he could control their growth trajectory.


Moreover, he already had income streams flowing even before today’s expansion became public knowledge, registration fees,


Dungeon Guild Passes,mission posting costs, commission processing taxes,


and revenue from stables as well.


Additionally, he had another source of income through book sales. Beyond his Rule Book and Dungeon Guide Book, he’d authored three more books: Requirements to Rank Up as an Adventurer.


How to Be an Adventurer and the Adventurer Rule Book: Second Edition.


Once just a Guildmaster, he had now become a certified author and was proudly recognized as the "Bestselling Author" in Greyvale City.


Merchants were placing bulk orders for his book, while traveling teams eagerly purchased copies before setting off from Greyvale.


Smaller towns were already requesting shipments, and he found himself earning thousands of gold coins simply by sharing his words.


A strange amusement bubbled within him. Being a capitalist truly was... efficient. It made sense why people back on Earth treated it like a religion, money was leverage, freedom, and time.


If this trend continued, if he scaled properly, he wouldn’t just rival small noble houses; he would surpass them. The thought sent warmth spreading through his chest.


A soft, unguarded smile tugged at his lips, and for one undignified moment, a faint trail of drool slipped from the corner of his mouth.


"...Ah."


He blinked, snapping back to reality as he quickly wiped it away with his sleeve, exhaling through his nose in mild embarrassment.


"Open the Adventurer Guild Interface," he commanded.


A large translucent screen appeared before him, bordered by soft blue light.


--------


[Adventurer Guild Interface]


[ Guild Master: Sage Alistair.]


[ Guild Rank: C Rank.]


[ Guild Funds: 842,731 Gold Coins.]


[ Reputation: ( 12,456 / 100,000) ]


[ Active Members: 12,234.]


[ Guild Territory: Gryphon District.]


[ Guild Facilities: Intermediate Adventurer Stable | Intermediate Adventurer Inn | Intermediate Adventurer Restaurant | Mana Cultivation Tower | Smithy |.]


[Guild Objectives:]


[ Main Quest: Establish the First Guild in the World of Eldoria.]


-------


Sage gazed at his burgeoning fortune with dreamy eyes. "More than eight hundred thousand," he murmured in disbelief.


He hadn’t even realized the total had updated, his eyes were fixated on the Guild Funds display as if it held some kind of magic.


Over eight hundred thousand gold coins, achieved in less than half a year, from nothing but a half-abandoned building and an idea.


His lips trembled slightly as excitement coursed through him, while it paled compared to the fortunes of noble houses, and indeed felt insignificant next to their wealth, he was still richer than many small-time merchants. That was something to celebrate.


Forcing himself to look away from the funds display, he turned his attention to Active Members: over twelve thousand strong.


He exhaled slowly. He had been aware that numbers were rising; he’d monitored registration counters and signed off on expansion requests.


But seeing it laid out like this, twelve thousand active adventurers united under one banner, was something else entirely.


It meant that Greyvale’s combat population had effectively reached its limit. And this was just one city! The Evergreen Region was enormous, home to numerous towns and cities beyond Greyvale.


How many warriors were there in total? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? Just the thought sent a thrill of danger through his chest.


Imagining how many of them could be guided, organized, and let’s be honest, monetized made his mouth curve into a smirk despite himself.


Suddenly, a chime echoed in his mind as a new blue notification window popped up before him.


[New Mission Issued.]


[ Mission Title: Regional Hegemony.]


[ Objective: Establish ten Adventurer Guild branches within Evergreen Region.]


Sage staggered back, almost losing his balance. He took a half-step away.


"...What?"


His eyes widened as they locked onto the floating words, hoping they might rearrange themselves into something more manageable.


Ten branches. Across the entire Evergreen Region. Not just one, but ten!


His heart pounded heavily against his ribs. "System," he demanded inwardly, disbelief sharpening his voice.


"What did you just say?"