Eren gave another small nod as he stepped forward with the line and asked another question.
"Then what happens if supply overflows? Or if either side fails to keep their word?"
Marcus didn't hesitate this time either.
"Yes, there are high chances of such things happening. That's why we will use a registration system."
"Suppliers will need to register their identity before taking on specific requests. They'll also have to deposit a registration fee when they accept a contract."
"If they fulfill the deal successfully, the fee is returned. If they fail, the fee is used as compensation for the buyer. The same goes for buyers too, they also need to register themselves."
He paused briefly before continuing, his voice lowering just a bit.
"And their identities won't be publicly exposed. Everything will be anonymized to prevent exploitation or targeted interference."
The system he described was beginning to take clearer shape.
"On top of that, I plan to introduce a credit-based system. The more consistently a hunter completes requests, the higher their rating becomes. High-performing suppliers will gain access to exclusive, high-value requests from buyers."
Eren glanced at Marcus with a strange look, his brows narrowing slightly as something about the explanation began to feel oddly familiar.
The structure, the system, the way requests, rankings, and supply chains were being organized… it reminded him of something he had seen before, an isekai adventurers' guild from the anime he watched in his previous life.
Is he trying to create a local adventurers' guild or something?
Eren shook his head slightly in amusement at his own thoughts.
"Your idea is definitely interesting."
Marcus's eyes widened slightly, a spark of excitement instantly igniting within them as Eren asked another question.
"What commission are you planning to take, from both buyers and sellers? And what about operational costs?"
Marcus straightened almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for this exact question.
"For commission, I'm planning to take around three to five percent from each transaction, depending on demand. The higher the demand, the lower the commission."
"As for operational costs… they'll mainly come from storage, manpower, transportation, and security."
Eren nodded slightly.
"Then how much do you need?"
"To start at a basic level… I would need a decent storage facility located near the center of the city, preferably equipped with a preservation magic circle to maintain material quality."
He began listing things one after another, almost without pause.
"I already have people in mind for packaging units, delivery teams, transportation handlers, even technical staff to manage the data system,"
Marcus continued.
"There are also many lifestyle profession holders with appraisal skills. Most of them gave up due to the harsh and competitive market, but if given stability, they can work as both appraisers and negotiators."
"The only major issues,"
Marcus added, his tone becoming slightly more serious,
"are hiring reliable guards and securing a proper storage facility. Cost of good storage facility at the center of town alone is… substantial."
He hesitated for just a fraction of a second before finishing.
"To start this business on a small scale, I would need exactly three hundred million."
Eren stepped forward in front of the deposit storage as he nodded his head in understanding.
So, he needs hundreds of millions to start the business and wants me to be the investor, huh…
Eren calmly took out his Awakener ID and transferred evolution materials, spirit stones, and low-grade elixirs into storage, leaving only the Nightmare Crystals in his ring.
Marcus looked at him nervously, expectation clearly visible in his eyes, but what Eren asked next was completely outside of his expectations.
"What if we decided to buy everything we need?"
Marcus blinked, his expression going completely blank for a moment as he repeated Eren's words under his breath.
"…Buy everything?"
He quickly snapped out of it, his face turning serious as he looked straight at Eren.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Instead of answering directly, Eren asked another question.
"You were planning to outsource packaging, transportation, and delivery… right?"
Marcus hesitated for a brief second before nodding.
"Yes. That's the most efficient way to keep the initial cost low and avoid management complications."
Eren's smile deepened.
"Then don't outsource."
"…What?"
"I want to buy everything."
Eren's gaze didn't waver even a bit as he said that.
"Not only the storage facility, we're also going to buy packaging units and transport vehicles. We'll build our own delivery system from the ground up."
For a moment, Marcus just stared at him, as if trying to process whether he had heard that correctly.
"T-That's not possible,"
Marcus said quickly, shaking his head as he tried to regain control of the conversation.
"If we do that, we'll need significantly more manpower just to manage operations. The cost will skyrocket for every sector, maintenance, salaries, and logistics!"
He took a step forward, his voice becoming more urgent.
"And more importantly, if we rely entirely on hunter supplies without stabilizing the system first, we could end up facing massive losses before the business even settles. This kind of model needs to start small, outsourcing at first, building stability, then expanding gradually."
Marcus added once more, "Buying everything is dangerous for now."
However, Eren didn't show even the slightest change in expression.
A soft notification sound echoed from his device, the confirmation that his deposit had been successfully processed.
Eren calmly took out his awakener ID from the machine and placed his hand on Marcus's shoulder.
"Does this city have a Golden Plain Real Estate branch?"
Marcus blinked, still slightly puzzled, but answered instinctively.
"Of course… there's no city without one."
"Good. Let's go…"
Before Marcus could say anything else, Eren had already turned and started walking, practically dragging him along as they headed back outside.
"W-Wait, Mr. Eren… are you even listening?"
Within minutes, they were already inside another cab, the city lights beginning to blur past once again as Eren gave the destination.
"Golden Plain Real Estate."
"Mr. Eren, you are making a huge mistake… please listen to me…"
Marcus sat beside him, still trying to convince Eren, but Eren didn't seem to hear a single word he said.
They arrived in front of a two-story building, its exterior polished and elegant, clearly standing apart from the surrounding establishments.
As soon as they stepped inside, a soft bell chimed above the door, and almost instantly, a woman appeared from behind the counter, her movements swift and practiced.
She looked at Eren and Marcus from head to toe, her eyes briefly lingering on their simple, worn clothing, and for just a fraction of a second, her expression twitched, Eren noticed that.
But the woman quickly masked it with a professional smile.
"Welcome. How may I assist you?" she asked politely.
Eren didn't reply immediately.
Instead, he calmly reached into his pocket and took out a golden card, the VVIP card given to him by Alex in Bridgewatch City, as he said,
"I want to know what kind of storage facilities are currently available for sale in the city center."
"…!"
The moment the woman's eyes landed on the card, everything changed.
Her pupils shrank, her face visibly paled, and the composed professionalism she had been maintaining shifted instantly into far more respectful.
"I—please, this way,"