Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 290

“But if you make a request to the Adventurers’ Guild, isn’t it normal to pay in cash?” Sara says.

When requesting adventurers, the standard is indeed to pay in cash. This is because adventurers typically do not have ties to the town, nor do they possess credit or guarantees. Thus, for an adventurer to live in a town, they must have cash on hand.

Currently, I own a shoe workshop, which gives me both a physical location and a business, along with reliable trading partners like the church. I keep thorough records, allowing me to settle accounts with them once a month. In the beginning, transactions require cash payments each time, but as time goes on, the intervals between payments lengthen. That’s what credit is about.

In the case of adventurers, it’s uncertain when they might leave the town or if they might die during a request. Even if they don’t die, they might retire due to injuries and experience a drastic drop in income. From the perspective of the trading partners, the risks are too high to transact without cash.

Of course, this is different once an adventurer group becomes as established as the Sword Fangs Legion. With their skill and reputation, they earn credit. The vice-leader, Swiberry, is married to the daughter of a wealthy merchant, which makes it easy for them to secure loans. Even if they don’t have cash on hand, being a member of the Sword Fangs Legion allows for credit transactions.

The motivation for young adventurers to join a top-class clan like the Sword Fangs Legion is also strongly influenced by the social status that comes with it.

As a result, the Adventurers’ Guild always has a large amount of cash on hand to pay adventurers. However, a business can’t survive if the money only goes out, which is why they require clients to pay in cash as well. Since many requests to adventurers are one-off jobs, this is inevitable.

To suggest breaking this system might seem like a reckless act to Sara, who is once an adventurer herself, as it could appear to disrupt the rules of society.

“But there is no cash in the countryside. You know that, don’t you, Sara?”

As long as farmers live in the countryside, there are few situations that require cash. In this world with poor distribution systems, rural areas function as autonomous living spaces, and transactions are conducted through borrowing and lending based on human relationships. Taxes are also primarily paid in kind. Farmers keep a little cash on hand for emergencies, like when a traveling merchant comes from outside, but this is typically limited to wealthier farmers.

So when requesting an adventurer, a wealthy farmer—like the village chief—pays the money in advance, and a villager runs to town clutching the cash.

“But the village church doesn’t have money either, does it?” Sara counters.

Indeed, the village church hardly keeps any cash either. For different reasons than the villagers, the clergy don’t use cash as long as they live in rural areas. The church essentially provides necessities for life, and the villagers voluntarily perform labor, like repairing the church building.

Thus, the village church rarely carries any cash either.

“However, the central church has vast amounts of cash and has credit in the village. If the church’s priest says they’ll pay, they wouldn’t default on that, right?”

“That’s true. After all, he’s a priest,” Sara replies, somewhat reproachfully.

“That’s what credit is. So, we can have the village church act as if they are making the advance payment, and the Adventurers’ Guild can receive cash from the central church. This way, we won’t need the villagers to carry cash, which makes it safer, right? Plus, the church can earn a fee for safely delivering the money. The Adventurers’ Guild is guaranteed to receive their money. The villagers’ risks are reduced. Everyone can be happy!”

I explain the system, but Sara looks at me with a suspicious expression.