Chapter 363 - 363 - A Year-End Bonus to Make Anyone Jealous

The moment Finn spoke, the crowd, which had been on the verge of dozing off, perked up at once.

Even Leon brightened, his earlier listlessness wiped away entirely, looking more energized than he had at the very start of the meeting.

What could you do? The only reason everyone was willing to sit here and listen to a pack of old farts and middling blowhards take turns delivering long-winded, tedious speeches... was it because they enjoyed it?

No, of course not.

The real reason was the Guild's year-end summary, and the rewards they could earn after a year of hard work.

And the centerpiece of every major exploration Familia's annual KPIs was the Expedition!

Every so often, exploration Familias were required to organize a Dungeon Expedition. This wasn't a matter of mood. It was an obligation that every exploration Familia operating in Orario had to fulfill.

Correspondingly, the results of an Expedition were counted toward a Familia's contribution to the city. At the year-end summary each year, the Guild would hand out rewards based on each Familia's contribution rating.

The rewards came in all kinds: management fee reductions, purchasing discounts, intelligence sharing, rare material supplies, land, building usage rights, and so on...

The Guild had governed Orario for over several thousand years, and the good things accumulated in Ouranos's hands were beyond counting.

Who wouldn't be tempted?

Especially Familias like Loki's and Astraea's, scraping by on tight budgets, who counted on the year-end rewards to ease the pressure and catch their breath.

Without this year-end gift package, even with the boost to combat power from the Monster Hunter Special, Finn wouldn't have had the nerve to go all in on the last Expedition.

Clearly, he knew there was something to catch him if he fell.

And barring surprises, that something was this "year-end bonus."

As for Leon...

He, Jeanne, and Rose were all fixed, as if by silent agreement, on a particular column of the reward list on the parchment.

Land!

If they could just exchange contribution points for a plot of land, then the plan to build a new base could officially be put on the agenda.

"The First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Districts all have vacant plots."

"Of those, the Fourth and Sixth Districts have the most vacancies."

Leon drew a heavy line under that row with his quill, his brow knitting slightly.

Jeanne and Rose exchanged a glance, and then Rose leaned in close and lowered her voice:

"If I'm not wrong, the Fourth District... is mostly centered on 'Daedalus Street,' isn't it? Jeanne, Kureha and I have been there a few times, and from what we saw, the neighborhood there isn't exactly friendly."

Leon nodded slowly.

Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Orario, who hadn't heard the name "Daedalus Street"?

It was the one lawless zone in the entire city, a chaotic den of filth and vice, a notorious slum, a gray area where gangsters, vagrants, bandits, and the undocumented and other lawbreakers all gathered.

Anyone who could carve out a foothold there, even an ordinary resident, was no pushover.

Even the orphanages deep in its back alleys usually had some big shot standing behind them. Anyone who went wandering around there without a real trick up their sleeve, too stupid to know it, would probably turn up missing within a few days.

In short, Daedalus Street was that dangerous a place.

So the Fourth District's plots were the first the three of them ruled out.

"The Sixth District..."

Jeanne tapped lightly at the notes on the file about that area:

"The location's actually quite good, only... the remarks mention that right now, for certain reasons, most of the Sixth District is broken ruins, nothing but rubble and crumbling walls. If you wanted to rebuild it, the cost would probably be more than you could accept."

Leon followed Jeanne's lead and finished reading the remarks, then sank into thought again.

The description in the file was brief and vague, but through the goddess Demeter he knew something of the inside story.

Eight years ago, the Sixth District had been the most prosperous, most beautiful, most coveted area in all of Orario, bar none.

Because it was once where the headquarters of the Zeus Familia and the Hera Familia had stood.

So... why the Sixth District had fallen into its present state of ruin hardly needed spelling out, did it?

After being wiped out to the last man in the subjugation battle against the "One-Eyed Black Dragon," one of the world's three great quests, the two king Familias had withdrawn from Orario in disgrace. As for all the grudges they'd accumulated over those years, all the people they'd offended... there was no need to even think about it. No one would ever want this thousand-year nightmare to leave so much as a trace in the city.

And so, naturally, the Sixth District became what it was today.

Pulling himself out of the brief recollection, Leon shook his head:

"The Sixth District... let's set it aside for now. For one, we don't have the funds, and for another... it involves some leftover historical baggage. Mm... it could easily make certain people recall the fear of being dominated by those two, and then they'd take it out on us out of sheer guilt by association."

"There are always 'old grudges' that don't listen to reason, especially the kind that have been piling up for tens of millions of years."

Jeanne and Rose exchanged a look and, by tacit understanding, kept silent.

The specific reasons behind it, Leon would surely tell them another day. It just wasn't the place for a deeper talk right now.

"Decided. If we're going to choose, we choose the best, even if we can't afford the contribution points it'll take right now..."

There was no need to say it outright. Jeanne and Rose already understood Leon's choice.

"The First District?"

"Mm."

Just as the three of them were murmuring among themselves, Royman got through another long (and tedious) and dry (and droning) stretch of remarks, and finally steered the topic to the segment the whole room cared about most:

"All right, next we'll formally announce each party's contribution assessment to the city for this year, along with the corresponding rewards... and the list of penalties."

With that, he shot a glance at the drowsy clerk beside him:

"Hand out the materials."

"Huh? Y-yes!"

...

"First, announcing the top two in this year's assessment..."

"In first place, the Loki Familia."

Royman straightened up, switched into that solemn, faintly overblown tone of commendation, and began his performance:

"Under Captain Finn's outstanding leadership, the Loki Familia has consistently maintained a steady, enterprising trajectory of growth, advancing one solid step at a time, and has successfully completed each of its Dungeon Expeditions, now reaching the Deep Floors: the 43rd floor."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping the room, and went on in that tone brimming with official praise:

"What's more, in maintaining order on the surface and safeguarding the city's security, the Loki Familia has likewise stood as a pillar throughout, actively participating and making outstanding contributions."

"The sweat and effort of the Loki Familia have been seen and taken to heart by both Lord Ouranos and the Guild."

"Therefore, after joint deliberation by the great god and the Guild, it has been decided that over the coming year, the Loki Familia will continue to enjoy the top-tier treatment for S-rank Familias: a full waiver of management fees."

"And now, let us thank the Loki Familia with warm applause for a year of diligent dedication and outstanding contributions!"

With that, Royman rose first, his round face wreathed in smiles, and clapped vigorously.

The whole room stood. Even Hedin and Ottar, and even the visibly displeased "runner" Allen, had no choice but to get up half-heartedly and tap their hands together a couple of times for show.

Clap clap clap!

Finn and Riveria stood as well and bowed in acknowledgment to everyone. The smiles at the corners of their eyes, though, were impossible to hide.

"Hsss!"

Leon sucked in a sharp, cold breath the moment he heard the "year-end reward" the Loki Familia had landed.

Good god, a full year's waiver of management fees for an S-rank Familia?

Over a year, that had to add up to several hundred million saved!

Leon had to admit, he really was a little jealous.

Clap clap clap!

The applause died down, and Royman had already put away his smile, recovering that brisk, businesslike expression as he turned to the next page of the file:

"Now then, on to second place..."

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