Damn, I recarneted As A Judge in Fantasy World

A sturdy, middle-aged man with an impressive red beard was pacing anxiously. His movements were restless, wandering around the space rather than heading toward any destination. It seemed as though some huge worry was weighing heavily on his mind. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

After a while, the man, who had been wandering in circles, suddenly stopped.

Someone opened the door and stepped out, calling his name.

"Mr. Paul?"

"Oh, yes."

"Come in," said the woman, dressed in a suit, smiling brightly as she gestured politely.

Paul straightened his clothes with a stern expression.

"Thank you," he replied, then walked forward, attempting to hide his nervousness.

As he entered, a rather plain office space came into view. In fact, it looked not much different from Paul's own office.

"Oh, my! Sorry, I've been so busy these days," the man inside said apologetically.

"No need to apologize. Which employee doesn't know that the Vice President is the busiest person in the company?"

"When you put it like that, I feel so embarrassed I don't know where to put myself."

The person Paul had come to meet was none other than Miller Xavier.

The two men had once been colleagues—Paul as the general manager and Miller as the textile factory manager. But now, a few years later, their roles had shifted significantly.

Miller Xavier was now the Vice President of the Multi-Purpose Group, while Paul had become the president of Dapan Industries.

"I really need to arrange a tea time or a meal sometime, but I just don't have the time," Xavier said, shaking his head.

"Haha! Same goes for us," Paul replied with a polite chuckle.

"By the way, what brings you all the way to headquarters? I'm a little surprised since you didn't send a message in advance."

"Oh, well, it's about something quite concerning."

Paul licked his lips, a slightly weary expression spreading across his face. It was clear the topic was difficult for him to broach.

Xavier, still smiling warmly, poured tea himself and handed a cup to Paul.

"Let's have a drink first, and then you can speak freely. We've known each other a long time, haven't we? We're here to help each other."

"Thank you, Vice President. It's nothing other than..."

Paul's face grew stern as he began to speak. Xavier's expression, which had been gentle and inviting, gradually hardened as he listened, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"So, you're saying there's no way to catch these employees doing bad things?"

"Yes. The factory keeps stalling, and we're overstaffed."

"Are you saying they've been stealing?"

"Yes. Items like packs of paper, rolls of cloth, and blocks of wool have been disappearing little by little."

"Her!" Xavier let out an exasperated sigh.

Another issue was the factory inspections required every time a theft occurred. Although these inspections were conducted according to the chairman's operating procedures, they caused significant delays and financial losses.

To combat this, Paul had doubled the night watch staff.

The measure seemed effective, as the thefts stopped. However, the increased security inevitably drove up the cost of production.

This rise in costs threatened the Dapan Group's motto of offering good products at reasonable prices.

"This is a headache. Have you caught the culprit yet?" Xavier asked.

"Not yet," Paul admitted.

"What happens if you reduce the security staff?"

"I tried cutting it down from 200% to 150%, but the items started disappearing again."

"So, you're saying we can't maintain the status quo?"

"Exactly. And unfortunately, the rise in product prices is unavoidable."

"Whew! If this keeps up, we might lose our competitiveness and the trust of our customers," Xavier said, leaning back in his chair.

The two men knew the business environment around Perias was becoming increasingly competitive. Although not as established as the Multi-Purpose Group, newer enterprises were emerging with innovative products and creative approaches.

Xavier himself had been actively recruiting talented individuals to bolster the Multi-Purpose Group's standing. About half of these recruits had joined, but the rest had ventured out on their own, becoming formidable competitors.

"The chairman always told me to never let my guard down," Xavier said with a sigh. "He warned me that geniuses in this world can always overtake us if we're not careful."

"I agree," Paul said solemnly.

"If we ignore the thieves, a bigger problem will eventually arise."

"Yes, and we can't reduce security staff either. We'd be breaking protocol."

"This is truly frustrating. Dependable employees doing something like this..." Xavier trailed off, shaking his head.

The Dapan Group was known for its robust personnel system, which took both performance and reputation into account. Promotions were meticulously structured, giving employees a strong sense of achievement.

This unique system fostered extraordinary loyalty among staff, to the point where operations often ran smoothly even in the absence of supervisors.

It was this reputation for loyalty that made the thefts so perplexing.

Paul and Xavier had even consulted other CEOs, but no viable solutions emerged.

"I just don't understand. These employees are well-paid, yet they're stealing small things like cloth or wool blocks," Xavier said in disbelief.

"If there's a wall, there will always be someone who tries to climb it," Paul said grimly.

"But the fact that theft stopped when we increased security proves this wasn't impulsive," Xavier countered.

"That's what makes it harder to understand," Paul admitted.

Other business leaders, such as Adam, the pottery workshop owner, and Theo, who ran the tool workshop, also shared their perspectives. Yet, the more they deliberated, the more baffling the situation became.

"We have no choice. Let's raid the staff's rooms and search thoroughly," Paul suggested.

"I suppose we'll have to. We can't keep wasting money on thieves," Xavier agreed.

A raid was conducted on the staff dormitories by the Dapan Group's headquarters team.

However, even with such extreme measures, no stolen items were recovered.

Instead, the company's atmosphere became tense and chaotic.

"What do we do now?" Paul asked, his voice heavy with frustration.

"We can't just ignore this and let the factory run as it is," Xavier replied.

"If only the chairman were here at a time like this..." Xavier muttered to himself.

His monologue left the executives scratching their heads.

No matter how much they thought about it, something about the situation just didn't add up.