Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 124

That day, while I’m discussing a report with the person at the counter, someone discreetly whispers in my ear.

“You’ve been getting a bit of attention lately.”

“From whom?” I ask. It turns out there is a faction opposed to Urbano, and recently, resentment toward him has been growing due to his sudden rise to power.

They argue that the current policies are excessively sympathetic toward adventurers, who they see as nothing more than former peasants unworthy of noble society. They insist that the increased administrative burden without any improvement in performance needs to be addressed.

Although the increased administrative burden is a fact, and these criticisms stem from factional rivalry, there might be some rationality behind them. I’m also curious about their proposed methods for improving performance.

“So, what kind of methods are they planning to use?” I ask out of curiosity, and I’m stunned by the answer.

The problem isn’t the management method; it’s the performance. Their solution is to recruit and deploy more adventurers. That’s their argument.

It’s absurd. Implementing such an approach under the current system would result in disaster. Without support for rookie adventurers and an efficient training system, it would only lead to numerous deaths and casualties. The productivity of the remaining villages would also decline. Are the noble bureaucrats in the city indifferent to the plight of rural areas?

I recall Sara’s wistful expression while talking about her days in the countryside. I will not let these people gain the upper hand.

I decided to strongly support Urbano for now. If they are going to attack our achievements, I will work to improve those achievements.

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What constitutes the main performance metrics for the Adventurers’ Guild? It includes aiding in pioneering projects through monster subjugation and purchasing monster materials.

I set my sights on aiding development projects because there seems to be significant room for improvement here. For example, consider a task where ten goblins have built a nest that needs to be exterminated. There are countless similar requests. How should these be distributed to adventurers, and how should the fees be set?

Up until now, prioritization was based purely on the order of requests, the political power of the noble landowners, and the reward offered by the village or town making the request. In simple terms, it was a “first come, first served” system that favored those who paid well and had influence.

However, this ranking system does not align with the adventurer business’s goal, which is to expand the boundaries of human society. To put it more crudely, being lured by immediate small gains can lead to significant economic losses and unnecessary wastage of adventurers’ lives.

I want to address this issue. Since a complex system would never work, I successfully persuade Urbano to implement two new prioritization standards for requests:

1. How profitable is it to subjugate the monsters?
2. How much cost reduction will it lead to?

You might think these are quite ordinary standards, but that’s the point. A change to standards that may seem normal at first glance is 180 degrees different from the previous evaluation standards for requests.

Here is my strategy. Since it would be hard to explain thoroughly, I do not consult Urbano about it, as I don’t think he would understand no matter how much I explain.

First, I clearly define the evaluation standards in writing. Of course, I will create this definition and include it in the report myself.

What does profit from monster subjugation mean? It refers to the future profits from agricultural products obtained through pioneering and the current profits from stabilizing farmland.

What does cost reduction from monster subjugation mean? It refers to reducing defense costs by streamlining the defense line of the settlement and reducing escort costs by ensuring the safety of transportation routes.

Since I don’t have detailed statistical information to calculate the economic benefits from crop harvests as the profit benchmark, I overturn maps stored by the guild, gather information from locals, and discreetly investigate past tax records using connections to create a rough benchmark for prioritizing requests.

These standards will constantly change as pioneering areas expand or defense line shapes shift. The maps used to assess which lands to protect and which would be profitable end up resembling a land value assessment. It’s similar to a modern-day land value rating. It might be a bit excessive, but I don’t mind. Since this information won’t be shared outside the Adventurers’ Guild and is for internal use, there’s no issue.

The introduction of the new standards significantly changes the prioritization of requests. Up until now, requests were prioritized based on day-labor type requests, where the client pays and the guild receives the money. From now on, requests will be prioritized based on how much they expand pioneering areas, increase safety, and ultimately raise the value of the land.

The effect of this change should become more apparent over time. This means that the adventurer business itself is transitioning from a day labor job that chases quick money to a real estate service industry that opens and maintains profitable land, according to the standard I secretly establish.

Land and real estate are more profitable than day labor. If the adventurer business isn’t made profitable, the treatment of adventurers won’t improve. I can’t hand the initiative to those who don’t understand this obvious fact and who treat adventurers as disposable.

While flattering Urbano, I discard my self-restraint and am satisfied with the move I have secretly made.