All in Charisma (A LitRPG/Isekai Adventure)

Things settled into a more manageable rhythm over the next week—at least at first.

Each day, Justin approached a new team member with the new requirement. He framed it as a policy that would apply to all employees, both now and in the future. It wasn't directed at anyone in particular; rather, it was a standard intended to benefit the business, ensuring that no single person was singled out and alleviating concerns about hiring dishonest employees in the future.

To his surprise, most were receptive and understanding of the policy, especially when he explained it would come with a raise. Ilsa, surprisingly, agreed readily and was shocked that he hadn't implemented it sooner. His fears that her feelings would be hurt were completely unfounded.

Rinna, too, was understanding and seemed much happier about the one silver raise.

Tammy and Rita also agreed, each receiving a twenty-five copper raise. As previously discussed with Lila, it didn't make sense for all employees to receive equal pay, but at least they earned 25 coppers a day more than Pallas, a new hire.

It was sufficient for now. Their earlier resolution to pursue separate accommodations was temporarily on hold. In their meetings, they had discussed the idea until Alistair advised against it. He pointed out that having them sleep separately could make them vulnerable to blackmail or kidnapping, especially with the Crismon Scales showing interest. This was an angle Justin and Lila hadn't considered, so they decided to postpone that plan for the time being. Lila mentioned that she could tolerate Justin's snoring a little longer.

As for Pallas, he proved to be everything he had promised and more. He was remarkably quick at getting orders out and far more efficient than any other employee. He carried a well-worn combat staff, clearly knowledgeable in its use, moving through the city with the confident stride of someone who understood its dangers. He easily handled the workload of two couriers or more, making his silver-per-day wage seem like a bargain.

Even so, the business continued its relentless growth. Justin had backed off from actively seeking new customers, and to his surprise, word-of-mouth marketing was taking hold. Each day brought an average of two or three new sign-ups. Some days there were none, but others saw as many as five or seven new members joining their ranks.

Later that week, the spring rains arrived in earnest.

With over fifty active members, the business faced its true operational test. The bronze and silver charms would not stop lighting up, creating an endless cascade of delivery requests.

All staff except Tammy were pressed into courier duty. Justin even tried to train Atlas for solo deliveries, but the construct seemed incapable of remembering multiple routes independently—its programming appeared focused solely on self-defense. Lila reluctantly emerged from her workshop to help with the delivery crisis, and even Ardabel stepped up to make a few runs himself.

The only exception was Rinna, who remained sequestered in her workspace, tinkering and perfecting her enchantments.

Justin requested daily updates, but she would only respond with a terse "Closer." She stayed up well past closing hours each night, her eyes growing hollow with obsession, her face gaunt from a lack of proper meals. She ate only when Tammy physically forced food into her hands.

When Justin finally ordered her to take a mandatory break, she snapped at him to back off and leave her alone.

Two hours later, she emerged.

She walked purposefully to the delivery map, now prominently displayed in the hallway where all the summoning charms were stored. Practically every employee, including Justin, was thoroughly soaked from the relentless rain. It had been several miserable days of subpar service; they even lost a few members due to delayed deliveries, forcing Justin to issue his first refunds—a bitter pill to swallow.

Rinna approached the master map with an enchanting brush dipped in liquefied aether. With supreme confidence, she began drawing intricate runic script across its surface; the symbols were both beautiful and complex, whispering Thaumic words under her breath.

She stepped back as a supernatural wind swept through the building, shuffling discarded parchment on the floor before settling into stillness. Justin noticed a golden radiance and turned to see all the summoning charms glowing brilliantly, with golden lines connecting them directly to the master map.

"You figured it out," he said in wonder.

Without speaking, Rinna returned to her workshop and retrieved the individual Belmoran maps he had purchased from Corvain. She brought them to Justin, handing them over.

Justin looked up at the main map, noting not only the silver-tier addresses and the current positions of active couriers (Pallas and Ilsa) but also every bronze-tier address. Several charms were lit, their owners summoning deliveries to their homes, while the rest remained dim but clearly visible.

Rinna demonstrated each individual map to Justin while the others gathered around in amazement.

Every single map displayed the same comprehensive information.

"The breakthrough wasn't in mirroring all these maps to the master," she explained, her voice hoarse from days of intense concentration. "It was in creating a perfect synchronization network—each map mirrors all the others simultaneously. A perfect chain reaction. Each additional map costs roughly the same amount of aether; the enchantment can be replicated for about one silver per map."

"Completely scalable," Justin said in amazement.

Rinna nodded wearily. "Infinitely so, within reason. The system should function flawlessly now. And I added protective enchantments to each map. They're waterproof, repel dust and grime, and are incredibly difficult to damage or destroy." She straightened with visible effort. "I'm Level 10 now. My Focus is Systems Enchanter." She nodded once, definitively. "And now... I desperately need the longest sleep of my life."

She trudged toward the stairs as the others remained transfixed by the magical display.

Lila and Justin exchanged a meaningful look.

"All right," Justin announced, breaking the reverent silence. "The time has come. We've discussed implementing the Zone System—let's put it into action as soon as Pallas and Ilsa return."

They waited about thirty minutes for the couriers to complete their current runs, but it took only another ten minutes for everyone to understand their newly assigned territories. The system had been thoroughly planned, requiring minimal explanation. They would only return to headquarters when they needed a top-up of inventory.

Pallas would continue working solo, covering the outer boundary of their expanded service area. His speed and efficiency earned him the most challenging territory, which included the longest routes and the most scattered customers.

Ilsa and Alistair would form a team to cover Southern Mudside, combining her local knowledge with his guardianship. Rita, now properly trained in delivery, would partner with Atlas to handle Northern Mudside. Justin and Lila would each manage deliveries in the Commercial District near Belmora Bridge as needed but would step back after four additional couriers and their guards were added.

That was the number Justin, Lila, and Alistair determined was necessary for sustainable operation with room to grow, even with the new mapping system in place.

As the afternoon progressed, Justin's Living Ledger made it clear that the system was functioning as designed. Orders began flowing in smoothly as each team consulted their enchanted maps and knew exactly where to go next. The blips on the map revealed not only customer locations but also their names, how long they had been waiting, and detailed information about their order history.

It was far more than Rinna had promised, clearly demonstrating that she had invested significant time in developing a comprehensive system that not only provided them with a competitive edge but also placed them miles ahead of what anyone else was doing.

By day's end, the entire team stood together in the center of the showroom, smiles lighting their faces—except for Rinna, who was still fast asleep upstairs.

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Daily sales had reached a staggering three gold crowns. The bulk of sales was thanks to Lila's Songbrewer potions, which practically sold as soon as they were ready.

"Today is dedicated to Rinna," Justin announced to the group. "Her tireless work has paid off, and we can now operate more efficiently than ever. Our couriers only had to return for restocking a few times. Lila's specialized potions are selling consistently, we've established relationships with multiple alchemical suppliers, headed by Ilsa, and Pallas has informed me he has contacts in the courier business interested in joining our team." He paused, meeting each person's gaze. "Be proud of yourselves. We're part of something extraordinary. Can't you feel it?"

Heads nodded enthusiastically around the circle. Even Pallas was nodding, despite his typically grim disposition—Justin took this as evidence that even their newest hire felt part of something special.

"Thank you all," Justin continued. "You're all dismissed with our gratitude."

Following their routine, Justin, Lila, and Alistair retreated to the main office to review the day's receipts and plan ahead.

"A new record," Lila said, separating the coins with satisfaction. "Rinna finally delivered on her promise."

"More than delivered," Justin replied confidently. "This changes everything for us."

"Time to hire additional staff as planned," Alistair agreed. "With this mapping system operational, we need experienced couriers, new maps to enchant, and additional enchanted packs. Theoretically, we could expand coverage until the entire city falls within our service area."

"Which might eventually mean opening satellite offices," Lila added. "And we've only been operational for two weeks!"

"The growth is promising," Justin acknowledged, "but we need to take expansion one step at a time. I've been crunching the numbers. Including today's record performance, we're averaging 1.52 gold crowns daily in gross revenue, mostly thanks to Lila's Songbrewer potions. Net income after material costs is approximately 78 silvers per day. I'm already a quarter of the way to Level 22, and that's from just two weeks of business operations."

"That's remarkable progress, Justin," Alistair said.

"It is impressive," Justin agreed. "But with cash flow coming in, I'm proposing a restructuring of our finances."

"How so?" Lila asked.

"If we're serious about hiring additional personnel and expanding—or ensuring we're properly stocked with supplies—we need to significantly increase our operational budget. Currently, we're setting aside half of our net income, which worked well at first. I propose shifting that to 65%."

"All right," Lila said slowly, "but that means less immediate income for us as owners."

"In the short term, yes," Justin admitted. "But frankly, we're not struggling financially. We've made necessary inventory investments recently: additional glassware for the laboratory, an extra alchemy table to help with scaling, more aether crystals for Rinna, and enchanted security locks for the shop. All essential purchases. More such investments will be needed as we grow. We need a substantial war chest, and I don't intend to fund expansion from personal savings."

"That makes complete sense," Lila said. "I never realized you had such strong business instincts, Justin."

Neither had he. He had long theorized that adopting a class often imparted intuitive knowledge not explicitly described by the System. He had experienced this with the Socialite class, so perhaps he shouldn't be surprised to find it happening with Entrepreneur as well.

"I didn't either," he finally answered. "But this approach feels right."

"So how do we structure owner compensation?" Lila asked.

"Here's my thinking," Justin said. "Assuming this business maintains its current profitability, neither of us needs to take daily wages like our employees."

"No daily wages?" Lila asked. "Then what's your plan?"

"We still have to pay taxes to the Queen and the city, naturally. And the Guild situation... don't get me started on that. I'm surprised no one's come down on us yet, other than that letter."

"Perhaps they heard about your connections to the Corrins and the Queen," Alistair suggested.

"Perhaps," Justin said doubtfully. "Regardless, returning to my main point: Lila and I no longer require regular payouts."

"Because the Templars are already paying us a crown monthly," Lila finished, understanding dawning.

"Exactly," Justin said. "With 65% allocated to operating expenses and 15% for taxes, that leaves 20% as pure profit. Assuming we maintain 78 silvers daily—and that figure will likely increase as our rough early days are behind us—Lila and I can live entirely off quarterly profit distributions and our Templar wage."

"An elegant solution," Alistair replied. "What would those distributions amount to?"

"That remains to be decided," Justin said. "But conservatively, we're looking at roughly 14 crowns per quarter to distribute. I suggest keeping half that amount in reserve as an emergency fund, building it up each quarter. We'd only distribute half the accumulated profit each period."

"Smart to maintain a savings fund," Lila agreed. "So, assuming your projections hold, that would be about 7 crowns at our first profit distribution, if not more. How much goes to us as owners versus our employees as bonuses?"

"I believe even modest amounts will make a significant difference and help our couriers feel they're benefiting from the company's success. A quarterly bonus of five silvers for our entry-level employees will feel like a tremendous windfall; that's nearly a week's wages."

"That seems rather generous," Alistair observed, "especially as we hire more staff. If you want to go down later, that'll be a tough conversation."

"Perhaps three silvers then to start," Justin amended. "Key employees and founding members would receive larger shares. Tammy and Rita could get five silvers, while Ilsa and Rinna might receive ten."

"Which leaves roughly six or six and a half crowns for us to split quarterly as owners," Lila calculated. "That's certainly manageable." She laughed. "If you'd told me I'd be earning three crowns four times a year when we first met, Justin, I would have thought you'd lost your mind."

"We should be rewarded proportionally for our risk and effort," Justin said, looking at Alistair. "And naturally, you'll receive bonuses as well."

Alistair raised his hands. "No, keep it for business needs. There's been a lot of discussion about money, which is fine—I'm pleased with our success. But I was hoping we could turn to other matters."

Justin nodded, anticipating what was coming. "I know. We need to start making actual progress investigating the Cult of Morvath."

"We absolutely do. Now that the business is thriving and we're hiring additional help, I hope it gives us the freedom to pursue our true purpose. I understand you're grooming Ilsa for a management position, Justin; that's great. She has a sharp mind, but she'll need a proper class to keep up with everything."

Justin nodded. He had yet to broach the subject with her; things had just been so busy. "I was planning to discuss that with her soon."

"Good. Returning to the subject of the Cult, I've been doing some discreet reconnaissance during my delivery routes."

"How has that gone?" Lila asked with interest.

Alistair grimaced. "Poorly. I look like a Paladin, regardless of my clothing. People aren't exactly eager to confide in me."

"I don't know anyone here who personally knows Valdrik, aside from Lady Myrelle," Justin said. "But asking her directly would be too obvious and suspicious."

"He certainly has allies at court," Alistair replied. "What about Duke Blackwood, whom you met at the masquerade? He struck me as someone worth cultivating."

"He said as much himself," Justin recalled. "But how would I arrange a meeting? Send a formal letter? What would we discuss? What if he asks detailed questions about my background?"

"You need to develop that cover story thoroughly," Lila said. "Learn everything you can about your supposed homeland. The library isn't far from here."

"I hate research," Justin complained. "I don't have time for extensive studying."

"Justin might be right about Blackwood being too ambitious," Alistair said. "He's Chief Advisor to Queen Eleanor II—potentially too much to handle initially. What about something more manageable? Who was that noble you had a verbal sparring match with at the masquerade?"

"Lord Tennyson," Justin said, recalling the arrogant young nobleman who had challenged him. "I'd rather wrestle a rabid badger."

"But it's a connection," Lila pointed out. "He mentioned wanting to go adventuring with you, didn't he?"

"I'd rather avoid that pompous fool. It's probably a complete dead end. We have no reason to believe that blowhard knows anything useful."

"Take Myrelle with you," Lila suggested. "And invite anyone else who might be interested among the younger crowd. Those nobles probably get desperately bored with all their social posturing. Go find a Vault or something!" She shrugged. "It could actually be enjoyable."

"And an excellent way to blow off some steam," Alistair added supportively.

"So I'm just casually interrogating Tennyson the whole time?"

"Essentially, yes," Lila replied.

"There's a significant problem with your plan," Justin said. "We don't have access to a Vault, and Vault expeditions take considerable time—days or even weeks away from the business."

"All valid concerns," Alistair replied, "but our meeting with Templar Tiffany is in two weeks, and we'll have nothing substantial to report."

"I suspect she'll be extremely demanding," Justin said with a sigh.

Alistair nodded grimly in agreement.

Justin sighed heavily. "It feels premature. I'm not prepared for this kind of social maneuvering. Should I just contact Myrelle and Tennyson to propose a 'Vault-hunting expedition?'"

"You don't actually have to locate a Vault, Justin," Lila explained. "It's just a social outing. Contact Myrelle and see if she's interested. I'm sure Tennyson would eagerly participate with his own companion. From your description, Lady Celine sounds like quite the conversationalist, and talkative people make excellent sources of information."

This was the last thing Justin wanted to do. But if he could keep the expedition brief and gather useful intelligence... yes, this might provide valuable contacts and insights.

At the very least, it would demonstrate some initiative to the Templars.

"One day gallivanting through dark forests won't kill me, I suppose," Justin said reluctantly.

Alistair clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man. That said, we all need to contribute to the mission. The business will survive a day without you, and it's an excellent test of Ilsa's developing management skills."

"Yes, yes," Justin replied with resignation. "Unless you have other pressing matters to discuss?"

"That should cover everything important," Lila said. "Until tomorrow's announcements."

"I'll try to contact Myrelle tonight. Something tells me I might be visiting the Corrins tomorrow."

"Find me before you leave," Lila said. "There's something I want to discuss with you."

"Why can't we talk about it now?"

"Better to wait until tomorrow," she said enigmatically. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I'm ready to see what culinary magic Tammy's cooked up."

Justin sighed, realizing there was no point in pressing her for details. Tomorrow would bring enough challenges of its own.