Rulers paid for most of the trips because they thought their men would bring lots of WhAt back ?

Capital

Explanation:

Many countries, such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, have funded their researchers' expeditions. The newly discovered lands belonged to the countries that discovered them. The rulers financed these expeditions because they knew that all the money invested would be returned to them many times. The exploitation of natural and mineral resources, territories, and slave labor are some of the elements from which the rulers benefited materially.