Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 192

What should be done if the secrets of the business are leaked?

In other words, how can a crisis management system be established for the business?

As someone who has just started a business, my options are limited. I can either pay someone stronger than me to protect me or escape while keeping the business’s secrets.

Now, it’s different from back then. By increasing the number of people capable of generating profits through the business, I enhance deterrence and reduce the number of people who would take action against me. By extending kindness to disliked nobles like Rolo and receiving payment, those who can calculate costs and benefits refrain from making a move against us.

At least, that has been the case until now.

The problem is how to deter those with half-hearted strength and no sense of profit and loss, like the ones this time. It is not easy to stop those who cannot make rational calculations about profit and loss and act impulsively, like inter-city merchants or newcomers to the city.

I hope that Gooljin’s roughness will provide the leadership needed to deter such people, but it seems he did not manage it well. He chooses the wrong people to approach, misjudges the scope of the secrets leaked, and the result lies at our feet.

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“How about it? Do you recognize any of these guys?”

“…No, I don’t… Wait a minute.” Gooljin bends down to check the faces of the tied-up thieves one by one but stops in front of one particular man. “I’ve seen this guy at Garon’s place.”

Indeed, he is the one who first approaches us and confirms our names. Now that I think about it, compared to the other six, he is wearing better clothes, and his sandals also seem to be of higher quality.

“Who is Garon?”

“He’s an inter-city merchant like me. He’s been running a caravan for over ten years. I’ve heard that since he lost his carriage to monsters recently, his business isn’t going well.”

“Why did you talk to someone like that?”

“I didn’t talk to him. I didn’t! But… well, maybe I was overheard at the tavern. When you’ve had a few drinks, your voice tends to get a bit louder, right?”

Right? No. Someone who spills secrets loudly at a tavern and someone who overhears it and impulsively plots a kidnapping because they’re in financial trouble are both at fault.

If the trade distribution industry doesn’t become a bit more professional, I won’t be able to increase production with ease.

The behavior of inter-city merchants can be described as adventurous at best or impulsive at worst, and that might be a reason for the short lifespan of their businesses.

Most of those who venture into inter-city distribution are retired adventurers who can no longer start businesses in the city.

If they enter the business around the age of 30, they retire as soon as they can no longer walk, so they’ll end up retiring by 50 at the latest.

The longest anyone lasts is about 20 years, and on average, they can only keep it going for around 7 or 8 years.

If the business can only last that long, it’s understandable why the people involved are so reckless and why more of them resort to high-stakes deals instead of steadily building trust.

If retired adventurers continue down this path, it’s worrying for the future.

That said, I don’t have the resources to take on a business larger than shoe manufacturing.

However, if I leave the current state of distribution as it is, it’s clear that I’ll face consequences in the future.

What should I do? I can’t help but cross my arms and think it over.