[Contractor... You have received 5,106,444 requests for a chat in the past 30 minutes. Would you like to accept all of them?]
"...Huh?"
Axel raised his head, stopping his soap-making endeavor for a moment. By now, rather than for practical application, he was just making soap to pass the time.
"Chat?" he asked Navi. "What is that? Is there a chat function in this system?"
[Yes, contractor. For the shop function, buyers and sellers could engage in a chat. Of course, for safety and privacy for both sides, one can’t chat without permission from the other.]
Hearing this, Axel nodded. "I see... Then, reject all requests unless they’re from someone who bought my item," he commanded.
As he spoke, he himself opened the shop panel and checked his page. As he expected, all the Voodoo Dolls were sold out the same moment they were posted. That alone brought a smile to his face.
"Then, the auction..."
When he checked the Substitute Doll, he couldn’t help but smile wryly. "So it was priced at 10,000 Colts in the end..." he shrugged.
[Contractor. After filtering out the chat requests, only one remained. It’s from username WitchyGura. Also, I think you saw that result wrongly. You’re missing three zeroes...]
"Huh...?"
The name "WitchyGura" was familiar to Axel.
After all, it was the very buyer who had been buying all his items from the beginning.
But that wasn’t what made him pause, but the latter part of Navi’s words. "More... zeroes...?" Axel whispered as he double-checked the result of the auction. Since there were no commas to separate the numbers, he carefully counted the zeroes one by one with his finger as a guide.
"One, two... three... six... seven...!"
Seven zeroes were coming after a single one! In short, it wasn’t ten thousand Colts, but rather, ten million! A price that Axel wouldn’t even dare to dream of getting from an item he made in just a few minutes!
"Fuck! That’s over a million!" Axel shouted, shocked beyond words. "Is this not a glitch? An input error for the price, maybe? I don’t believe it could reach ten million Colts in price...!"
Albeit his denial, he did check the bidding history... only to be welcomed by a long history of competitive bidding that extended seemingly infinitely.
From that alone, he could confirm it was no mistake.
The auction item’s final price was 10 million without a doubt!
Of course, if Axel knew of the carnage hidden behind that long history of competitive bidding, then his outlook about it would’ve changed for sure. But ignorance is bliss. Instead, with a light attitude, he went to the chat section of his seller page and tapped on WitchyGura’s name.
"Anyway, first of all, let’s thank her for the continued support and trust..."
Axel pushed aside all his shock and returned to business mode. With his unparalleled experience in writing work emails, he finished a short message for his one and only patron in a flash.
He made sure his prose was professional-sounding and respectful before sending it, but to his surprise, the other side replied literally the next instant.
~~~
>>> WitchyGura: Let’s leave pleasantries behind. I want to offer you an exclusive contract as our dimension’s, Witcheria’s, Royal Purveyor. What do you think?
~~~
"...Huh?"
The offer was too direct, making Axel step back for a bit.
It was a promising offer, knowing that the other party had deep wallets. Still, such a direct offer made him feel a bit of doubt budding in his chest. In particular, the question, "What is it that made WitchyGura lock on him as a purveyor?"
The answer was obvious at a glance.
"It’s the effect of the High Quality Substitute Doll Lv. Max..."
Seeing its exorbitant price tag at the end of the auction, Axel could tell that this item alone was precious to witches. He wasn’t sure why yet, as he had little information about them, but that alone he was sure of.
And of course, this meant that in this negotiation, he had the upper hand and not the other way around.
"Even if I refuse here, there are other witch covens that will buy my items. Thus, I wouldn’t profit from this deal as much as they would." Axel grinned. "Then, we should first balance out the trade!"
~~~
>>> Hexel: That is an enticing offer I would love to accept. However, as a merchant, I can’t be biased about where I sell my items. Sorry, but I have to refuse.
~~~
It was an indirect and subtle hint that, considering the previous offer, it wouldn’t really matter if Axel chose to side with them or other places. Of course, as the other side wasn’t an idiot either, she quickly picked up on what Axel was indirectly asking for.
~~~
>>> WitchyGura: If you choose to be our Royal Purveyor, all your items will be bought here at 50% above the market price. Also, you can buy all the raw materials from us at 25% off.
~~~
"...!"
At this offer, Axel hesitated.
With how much she gave on just the initial conditions, it showed how much value Axel had to them. Still, with this, a new problem arose.
A place that could afford to spend 10 million Colts at once. If he refused to trade with them, he would definitely look like a money monger to them. Not only that, he might even lose one of his customers—at worst, they might commit to hampering his business itself.
Of course, those are extreme cases with low probability of happening. Still, the chances of it occurring weren’t zero. Thus, Axel had to think it through properly.
"Now, how should I reply?"
If he accepted it at once, he might look desperate. If he asked for too much, he might instead look like a greedy merchant. He needed to strike a balance while maintaining a good impression...
~~~
>>> Hexel: That sounds good, but may I add one more thing?
>>> WitchyGura: It depends on the content. Do you want the hand of one of my daughters, or maybe all of them? That much I wouldn’t mind.
~~~
Seeing the reply that came back, Axel couldn’t help but feel a twinge in his temple. "Why are all the people I interact with so into this harem thing..." he mumbled, feeling distraught.
~~~
>>> Hexel: A wonderful proposal, but unfortunately, not the one I was hoping for. I simply want to get all the discarded and broken Substitute Dolls from your place. Will that be difficult?
>>> WitchyGura: You mean... all those trash? Wouldn’t it be rude instead if we dump it to you, Mr. Hexel?
>>> Hexel: No, not really. I would be extremely grateful instead. As they say, one man’s trash could be another man’s treasure.
~~~
Unlike the Voodoo Doll that literally gets "consumed" after use, broken Substitute Dolls still retain their shape after they’ve outlived their purpose.
"That means, with my new Repair function, I can fix everything and re-sell them!"
Getting things for free and selling them at a premium—there’s nothing that could generate more profit than this!