107: Chapter 107 A Practical Report on "Operating Costs"

This word caused Levi's brow to furrow almost imperceptibly.

Goblins.

A chaotic, greedy, and numerous species of low-level humanoids; a nuisance, but not a fatal threat.

In the previous lord's memories, they were like psoriasis festering on the edges of the territory, occasionally coming out to harass lone travelers and small merchant caravans. But as soon as the castle guard showed even a hint of force, they would scurry back into the depths of the forest like startled rats.

A low-investment, low-return, but extremely annoying periodic risk.

"Has the loss statistics been compiled?" Levi didn't look back. His gaze remained locked on the training ground, specifically on Rayton, who was giving the recruits their first "cost control lesson" in the most brutal manner possible.

His tone was calm, as if he were asking about today's lunch menu.

"They're out, My Lord," Evelyn's voice came from behind him, carrying a crispness born of nervousness.

She flipped open a piece of parchment in her hand. The handwriting on it was as neat as if it had been printed, and key points were highlighted with different colored mineral pigments.

This had already become her unique working style.

"According to the scheduled plan, the first prospecting caravan carried ten days' worth of supplies for three people, two pack horses, and a full set of vein prospecting tools. The primary mission was to verify iron ore reserves at Marker Point One on the west side of Grey Mist Forest. According to the third edition of the 'Blackstone Territory Asset Quantification Standards' you established, the direct material loss this time is seventy-three silver coins. However," Evelyn paused, her tone growing heavier, "considering that the delay in the prospecting mission could lead to a three percent drop in forge productivity for the first quarter, as well as the risk of default on subsequent weapon orders, the potential economic loss caused by this attack is estimated at six gold coins. This is equivalent to twelve percent of our current monthly fiscal revenue."

The corners of Levi's mouth curled up slightly.

Excellent. Evelyn had completely mastered the essence of quantifying problems with data.

To his granduncle Graham, a lord's guard being attacked by goblins was a "slight against honor"; but to him, it was a "twelve percent drop in monthly KPI."

The former required blood and revenge to wash away; the latter required an efficient, low-cost crisis management and risk elimination operation.

"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!" Behind him, Graham's roar rang out again. This time, his fury was no longer directed at the "Gu-rearing" on the training ground, but at the news the guards had just brought and Levi's indifferent attitude. "Levi! Did you hear that? Our people were attacked by goblins! Your subjects have gone missing on your own land! Instead of immediately sending the guard to exterminate those filthy green-skinned beasts, you're standing here watching this ridiculous farce?"

Levi slowly turned around and took the parchment from Evelyn, which was titled "Economic Loss Assessment and Risk Warning Report Regarding the Goblin Attack in Grey Mist Forest."

He read it through carefully, even lightly stroking the number "twelve percent" with his finger, as if feeling the heavy weight that the figure represented.

He ignored his furious granduncle and walked straight down from the archery tower.

Inside the castle's small meeting room, the atmosphere was oppressive.

The rustling sound of a charcoal pencil scratching across parchment was the only noise.

Levi sat at the head of the table, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the surface.

Evelyn sat to his left, responsible for the meeting minutes.

Graham stood in the corner of the room like an angry stone statue, his chest heaving violently.

And Rayton, who had just finished the first round of "onboarding training," had been urgently summoned and stood at the other end of the table.

He still carried the smell of blood and dust from the training ground, but his expression was exceptionally focused, like a project manager waiting for his boss to assign a new task.

"An unexpected event has just occurred," Levi began, breaking the silence.

His gaze swept over Rayton. "It can be defined as an external market risk that has directly impacted our core business's supply chain. Now, I need to launch an emergency response project."

He pushed the loss report Evelyn had just handed him to the center of the table.

"Project Name: 'Grey Mist Forest Supply Chain Security Optimization Operation.' Project Goals: One, clear out the goblin bandit gangs entrenched in the forest to ensure the safety of trade routes; Two, recover the stolen iron ore; Three, minimize operational costs as much as possible to reduce the losses from this risk event to the absolute minimum."

Levi looked at Rayton, his eyes holding no command, only a pure sense of commercial inquiry: "I, as the project investor, am now issuing a bounty mission. All loot seized during this operation, including goblin weapons and sundries, will belong to the 'employees' participating in the operation. The Lord's Manor will only reclaim the stolen batch of iron ore at market price. Furthermore, I will put up an additional bonus pool to be distributed based on your efficiency and cost control in completing the task. The faster it's completed and the lower your own casualties, the higher the bonus will be."

Rayton's eyes lit up instantly.

He understood this logic almost immediately.

This wasn't an order; it was a business deal!

A high-risk, high-reward business deal!

"I accept this project," Rayton answered without hesitation, a hint of irrepressible excitement in his voice.

"I object!" Graham, in the corner, finally reached his limit. He strode to the table and slammed his palm down, making the ink bottle jump. "Levi! Have you lost your mind? Clearing out bandits and defending the territory is the sacred duty of the Byron Family Guard! It is a responsibility that soldiers fulfill with loyalty and honor! And now you want to turn it into a transaction that can be calculated with money? You're going to let that pack of money-grubbing mad dogs execute a mission vital to the territory's security? All they see is loot! Once they encounter real danger, they'll turn and run without hesitation! They might even turn on their own just to get a bigger share of the bounty! The foundation of an army is loyalty! It's discipline! It's not your damned sky-castle built on greed!"

The old knight's roar echoed in the meeting room, every word filled with a defense of traditional chivalry and heartbreak over Levi's deviant methods.

Levi listened quietly, offering no rebuttal, and the expression on his face didn't change in the slightest.

He waited until Graham was panting heavily from agitation before he slowly spoke, his tone still flat.

"Granduncle, everything you said is correct. Loyalty and discipline are indeed the cornerstones of a traditional army." He paused, his tone shifting. "But they are too expensive."

"What did you say?" Graham could hardly believe his ears.

Levi didn't look at him again, but turned to Evelyn instead. "Evelyn, show Granduncle the 'Comparative Deduction Model of Military Operational Cost and Efficiency under Different Incentive Modes' I had you prepare."

Evelyn immediately pulled another document from a stack of parchment.

This document didn't have much text; instead, it was filled with various complex tables and data flow charts.

"Lord Graham," Evelyn stood up, walked to the old knight's side, spread the parchment before him, and explained in a professional, calm tone, "This is a mathematical model the Lord established based on combat reports from past bandit-clearing operations by the guard. According to your traditional mode, thirty loyal castle guards would be dispatched for this mission. Based on the model's deduction, the estimated mission cycle is five to seven days, material consumption is approximately twenty silver coins, the expected casualty rate is ten to fifteen percent, and the mission success rate is ninety percent."

She pointed to another data area where the numbers looked drastically different.

"However, according to the 'Incentive' mode proposed by the Lord, the Security Department under Supervisor Rayton will participate through free bidding. Based on their instinct to maximize profit, the model deduces that the winning team's size will be between fifteen to twenty people. To reduce supply consumption and increase operational efficiency, they will compress the mission cycle to under three days. Material consumption is almost zero because they will prioritize 'sustaining war through war.' The expected casualty rate... will be higher than the guard's, possibly reaching twenty percent, because they will choose more aggressive tactics for higher returns. But," Evelyn's voice rose slightly, "the mission success rate is one hundred percent. Because for them, mission failure means a total loss on their investment. When calculated comprehensively, the 'cost-performance ratio' of the latter is more than three times that of the former."

Graham stared intently at the parchment covered in numbers and arrows. He couldn't understand a single word, but he understood Evelyn's conclusion.

In his nephew's eyes, a soldier's loyalty, honor, and even life had become a pile of numbers that could be coldly calculated to measure a so-called "cost-performance ratio."

A deep sense of powerlessness and absurdity washed over the old knight's entire body.

He opened his mouth but found that all the creeds he took pride in were pale and weak before this cold data model.

In the end, he said nothing, only shook his head despondently and turned to leave the meeting room.

That back, once held so straight, appeared somewhat hunched for the first time.

Levi watched his granduncle leave, his eyes holding no joy of victory, only a flat calm.

He wasn't trying to destroy his granduncle's beliefs; he was simply stating a fact: times had changed.

His gaze returned to Rayton. "The project is yours, Supervisor Rayton. I await your good news."

Rayton sprang into action immediately.

He returned to the training ground and announced the "bounty mission" Levi had issued exactly as it was, declaring that within the Security Department, the team to execute the mission would be decided through a "project bidding" process.

This news instantly set the entire training ground ablaze.

The "recruits" who were just moments ago fighting tooth and nail over a week's supply of meat were immediately drawn to this new project, which reeked of blood and money.

Rayton broke the mission down into several modules, such as reconnaissance, assault, and logistical support, allowing teams with different specialties to form free combinations for bidding.

They needed to submit a "project proposal" outlining their operational plan, personnel allocation, estimated costs, and expected returns.

Ultimately, a twelve-man mixed squad composed of several former scouts and a group of desperadoes won the bid with a crazy proposal: "Two days to finish, zero supply request, self-assumed casualties, guaranteed return of all iron ore plus three hundred goblin left ears."

Their captain was the woman Levi had marked as having "S-rank management potential" during the first round of the free-for-all.

Three days later, while Graham was still immersed in the worry that the "Byron Family army had fallen," the squad returned.

They returned before the appointed time. Every one of them was injured, but their eyes were terrifyingly bright, like a pack of wolves after a full meal.

They not only brought back all the stolen iron ore, but their cart was also piled with a small mountain of goblin ears, far exceeding the three hundred they had promised.

Levi personally greeted them at the castle gate and paid out all the bounties on the spot.

Watching those desperadoes, who had looked so ferocious just a second ago, break into expressions of wild joy upon receiving pouches filled with silver coins, a satisfied smile appeared on Levi's face.

What he wanted wasn't loyalty, but human nature.

As long as he could precisely exploit the greed and fear within human nature, he could build a war machine more efficient and more terrifying than any army armed with loyalty and honor.

"My Lord," the female captain, a woman named Vera, did not leave immediately after receiving the bounty.

She pulled a foul-smelling map drawn on tanned goblin skin from her bosom and handed it over. "While we were clearing out their nest, we found this in the Goblin Shaman's tent."

Levi took the crude map and unfolded it, enduring the pungent odor.

How Vera had judged this item to be valuable among the many sundries and taken the initiative to hand it over demonstrated her shrewdness.

This "information investment" was clearly intended to trade for more opportunities in the future.

The drawing quality of the map was extremely poor, with squiggly lines and completely distorted proportions.

But Levi still recognized the area depicted on the map at a glance—it was the rugged mountain range in the eastern part of Blackstone Territory, bordering Silvermoon City.

On the map, a crooked thin line drawn with red pigment, like a winding venomous snake, cleverly bypassed all of Blackstone Territory's outposts and villages, passing through the depths of Grey Mist Forest and extending all the way to the east.

And at the end of that red line was a scrawled silver moon mark.

That was the emblem of Silvermoon City.

Levi's pupils contracted slightly.

This wasn't a simple goblin treasure map; this was clearly a... smuggling route map.

A secret trade route that deliberately bypassed his territory, connecting some unknown force with his competitor—Silvermoon City.

His finger lightly brushed over that crude red line, feeling the uneven texture of the hide map.

The bloody scent of goblin ears, the metallic smell of silver coins, and the foul odor emanating from this map mixed together in the air, forming a peculiar and dangerous aura.

A small-scale supply chain crisis triggered by goblins seemed to have torn open a hole into a much larger game in an unexpected place.