The Kicked Out S-Rank Appraiser Creates The Strongest Guild - Chapter 125

Chapter 125   Budget Plundering

“Additional budget? I thought I had already allocated enough for the new project?” Medes asked suspiciously.

“Yes, but as I just explained, we now need additional funding. We didn’t anticipate requiring Earthcraft,” Lizetta replied.

“Earthcraft… huh?” Medes leaned back in his chair, putting some distance between himself and Lizetta, who was leaning over the desk, and eyed her with a hint of doubt.

Just from that, Lizetta could tell that Medes was losing confidence in this new project.

“Lizetta, I understand your point, but the matters inside the dungeon are the responsibility of the adventurers. We, as the Alchemist Guild, should…”

“Guildmaster!!”

Lizetta slammed her hands on the desk, then flashed a smile filled with pressure.

“You told me, didn’t you? To come up with any method to defeat Spirit Workshop. And you agreed to support my new project. Isn’t that right?”

“That is… true, but…”

“I admit my initial estimate was optimistic. However, this project has just begun. Unexpected challenges are inevitable before it can truly take off. And don’t forget, Laurent is a monster who has conquered three dungeons, leads an entire city’s adventurer guild, and has raised numerous A-Class and S-Class adventurers. Facing him is no simple task. It’s a long and arduous journey. There will be rough patches. But it’s precisely in times like these that I need you, as Guildmaster, to fully support us.”

“……”

“Let me ask you again, Guildmaster—do you want to defeat Spirit Workshop?”

“Of course, I do, but…”

“Then you’ll approve this budget request, won’t you?”

“But to allocate new funds, I’ll have to cut from other departments’ budgets. It can’t be done immediately…”

“So, when can I expect the funds to be arranged?”

Medes hesitated, but unable to outright reject Lizetta, reluctantly approved the new budget. However, he set a condition: the approval would be finalized in three days.

After Lizetta left the room, Medes called for Edgar.

“You wanted to see me?” Edgar asked.

“Take a look at this,” Medes replied, handing him a document.

“A new budget? What’s this about?”

“Lizetta just submitted this request. Her suspicious behavior is becoming more and more apparent.”

(Seems like the seeds of doubt are growing nicely,) Edgar thought with a smirk.

“It appears that what you’ve been concerned about is starting to come true. Lizetta is laying the groundwork for Laurent to take over this guild.”

(So that’s what he wants to believe.)

Edgar realized that Medes was distorting his words, but since Lizetta’s growing suspicion worked in his favor, he decided to play along with Medes’ delusion.

“A guild takeover? I never imagined Lizetta could be involved in something so grand. But if that’s the case, we need to tighten the surveillance on her even more.”

“Indeed. But what can we do? There’s no clear evidence of her betrayal, and I can’t justify rejecting this new budget request either…”

“I have an idea. Why don’t you leave it to me?”

Three days later, Lizetta’s request for the new budget was approved as she had asked. However, a condition was attached to its use.

Lizetta immediately stormed into Medes’ office to complain.

“Guildmaster, what is the meaning of this!?” she demanded, slamming the budget approval document on his desk. “Why do I need Edgar’s permission to use the budget?”

“It’s simple. Edgar will be joining your project team. That’s all there is to it,” Medes calmly replied.

“I requested a budget, not additional staff.”

“There have been concerns within the guild about leaving this new project entirely in your hands. Starting a new project is already challenging enough, and now with the additional budget, it’s clear that you can’t manage it alone. That’s why we’ve added another member to your team.”

(Why on earth would you give the budget to Edgar? He’s the last person you should be giving it to. Read the room!)

Everyone in the guild knew about the bad blood between Lizetta and Edgar—everyone except Medes.

“Guildmaster, we can handle this with the current team. Please let us continue as we are,” Lizetta pleaded.

“This decision is final. I won’t tolerate any objections. Work with Edgar and move the project forward.”

Thus, the new project began with Lizetta and Edgar supposedly working together, but the new arrangement caused friction right from the start. Edgar insisted on being made the project leader.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! I started this project. Why should I make you, who just joined, the leader?” Lizetta argued, asserting her right as the project’s originator. Edgar countered by emphasizing his control over the new budget, leading to a day-long argument.

In the end, they compromised, with Lizetta remaining the leader and Edgar becoming the deputy leader.

However, this outcome played right into Edgar’s hands.

(Alright, I’ve infiltrated the project. Being the deputy leader is actually a great spot. If the project succeeds, I’ll take over and steal the credit. If it fails, I’ll pin the blame on Lizetta. Either way, I win. I’m going to sabotage this project from the inside.)

Lizetta glared at the member list, seething with anger.

(Edgar, I see right through your schemes. I know what you’re after. I won’t let you sabotage this.)

While Edgar was busy scheming, the “Spirit Worshop” was facing a similar problem.

“We’re running low on Earthcraft?” Laurent asked, looking surprised at what Ranju had told him.

“Yes. With our current stock, it would be tough to take on an A-Class quest.”

“I see. It has been a while since we last restocked.”

Laurent mentally reviewed the dungeon map, recalling the locations of the mining sites. He was aware of the general distribution of Earthcraft, but he remembered that there wasn’t much left this month.

He also considered the report from Dylan. According to Dylan, the “Dragon’s Ember” guild was also starting a project to train A-Class adventurers.

(I’m not sure how serious “Dragon’s Ember” is about this, but if they’re genuinely committed to training A-Class adventurers, they’ll definitely want Earthcraft. If we don’t move quickly, there’ll be a scramble for it.)

“Alright, I got it. Ranju, we’re changing priorities. Acquiring Earthcraft is now our top priority,” Laurent decided.

“Understood. Prioritizing maintenance of the existing equipment, then,” Ranju confirmed.

“I’ll call a meeting of the ‘Spirit Workshop’ alliance. Can you handle the workshop and atelier? And just to be sure, Pat and Wayne…”

“Those two are focused on their unique skills, right?”

“Exactly.”

Pat wasn’t great at adapting on the fly, and Wayne’s quality suffered when his focus was spread too thin, so Laurent wasn’t yet comfortable assigning them urgent tasks.

Laurent and Ranju, who shared a deep mutual trust, could quickly grasp each other’s intentions with minimal words. Both well-versed in alchemy and adventuring, they managed their tasks smoothly, without disputes, conflicts, or mistrust, respecting each other’s domains.

Moreover, the “Spirit Workshop” had a culture that prioritized support for the Adventurers’ Guild, which allowed the staff to respond flexibly and without panic to sudden changes in plans. Their management was tight, so there were no issues with budget disputes or unnecessary conflicts during the transition.

The Adventurers’ Guild, deeply loyal to Laurent, quickly heeded his call. The “Spirit Workshop” alliance was assembled in no time.

The “White Wolf” reacted immediately to the alliance’s movements, though their response was somewhat sluggish.

(So they’re after the Earthcraft.) Jamil clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Dragon’s Ember” had long neglected support for adventurers’ dungeon explorations, leading them to underestimate the value of Earthcraft. Even if they managed to snatch it from the alliance, there was no guarantee they’d be able to sell it.

“White Wolf” had also been significantly worn down by their battles with the alliance, and their last expedition had been a bust, draining their funds.

To make matters worse, news had just arrived from a fast ship in the harbor that one of the continent’s premier guilds, “Crown of the Sage,” was headed for Fire Dragon Island. Jamil wanted to avoid further financial strain before “Crown of the Sage” arrived.

Reluctantly, Jamil decided to request “Dragon’s Ember” to buy Earthcraft and provide financial support.

The request from “White Wolf” reached Edgar, who was in charge of procuring the Earthcraft.

“Huh? ‘White Wolf’ wants us to buy Earthcraft from them? The stuff they plan to steal from the ‘Spirit Workshop’?”

Edgar thought for a moment.

(I want to mess with Lizetta’s plans, so maybe I should help out the enemy here.)

Edgar sent a reply to “White Wolf”:

“Our guild is unable to purchase the Earthcraft. Therefore, we cannot provide financial support either. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Jamil, upon hearing the response, clenched his fists in fury.

(Edgar, that bastard—I’ll kill him later.)

“What the hell? Weren’t they just saying they were collecting Earthcraft a while ago?”

“Looks like the person in charge keeps changing their story.”

“They’re fighting among themselves again, huh?”

“They never seem to be on the same page when it counts.”

Later on, when Lizetta found out about this, she confronted Edgar. However, Edgar dodged her accusations with slippery excuses.

Upon entering the dungeon, Jeff quickly noticed something was off.

“Hey, Laurent. Don’t you think something’s weird?”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t felt like we’re being followed at all.”

“Really? You’re sure?”

“Could it be that ‘White Wolf’ isn’t making a move this time?”

“No way…”

(But he’s right—something’s strange about not sensing any presence behind us.)

Laurent mobilized all the archers and thieves for a large-scale reconnaissance of the area behind them, but they didn’t find any sign of the enemy.

In the end, the alliance successfully gathered the Earthcraft without any issues and descended the mountain without incident.

By the time the alliance had finished their dungeon exploration, the ship carrying the “Crown of the Sage” guild had arrived at the port.

(An external guild has arrived. That means there’s no need to continue nurturing the local guilds.)

Medes came to this conclusion.

Lizetta’s new project was suspended, and all the allocated budget was taken away. That budget was redirected to the production of equipment for the “Crown of the Sage.” Edgar was appointed as the project leader.

Lizetta was summoned to the guildmaster’s office to be informed of this decision.

“Lizetta, your new project has not only failed to produce any results, but you also lagged behind the ‘Spirit Workshop’ in procuring the Earthcraft. This is a significant failure. We must impose some kind of penalty to set an example. You understand, right? Therefore, Edgar will be in charge of the equipment production for the ‘Crown of the Sage.’ You are to procure the ore for him. You don’t have any objections, do you?”

Lizetta felt something snap in her mind.

“Oh, is that so? Fine then. As of today, I’m quitting this guild!”

“What? Wait, where do you think you’re going?”

Lizetta didn’t answer and quickly left the guildmaster’s office.

No one called out to her as she left. Everyone was too afraid of drawing Edgar’s ire.

“Island’s number one alchemy guild? What a joke. After all my hard work and dedication, this is the thanks I get. It’s utterly ridiculous!”

As Lizetta stormed out, she heard the cheers of the townspeople from the other side of the corridor’s window. They were welcoming the “Crown of the Sage.”

The cheers of the townspeople were louder than usual that day. This was because it wasn’t just the “Crown of the Sage” that had arrived at the port. The second unit of the “Guardians of the Magic Tree,” led by Euphene, had also arrived.