As soon as Axel was done crafting the dolls, he quickly lined them up on the chat and sent them over. With that done, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and waited.
"Hmm?"
But on the other side, as soon as Wisteria saw the appraisal of the item he sent, she thought she was just tired and seeing things. That she needed rest. After all...
"There's no way Hexel provided me with 100 High-Quality Substitute Dolls Lv. Max..."
She knew how hard it was to actually make those dolls. Thus, not only could she not believe Axel was able to make them in such a short time, but it was practically impossible to do so!
However, no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes and checked, closed the window, opened it again, and rechecked, the values didn't change. It wasn't a visual bug, and not a scam either, as all 100 were placed in a single slot. That could only mean they're all the same quality!
"Asdflkjsdglh!"
And when she could no longer deny the reality of the situation, she went into a seizure.
"Q-Queen!"
"Call the witch doctors, quick!"
Her subordinates, even her daughters present at the throne room, began to panic after seeing her fall while foaming at the mouth. However, she heard none of their worried voices. After all, her mind was focused on a single detail that she couldn't truly accept as real.
The item that she paid 10 million Colts for, thinking it was a treasure that comes once in a century at the least... had been mass-produced!
On the other end, Axel waited patiently.
He knew that confirming the item's quality would take time, but he didn't expect that no reply would come even after 10 minutes had passed.
"WitchyGura, please hurry up..." Axel prayed, checking the countdown timer of the quest continuously. "I don't have much time left...!"
If it took longer, then he might simply ditch the payment for this one and buy a bike on installment since he couldn't afford to buy it in cash!
~~~
>>> WitchyGura: Sorry for the delay. I have confirmed the items, and... how about 2 million Colts for each sound?
~~~
But as if hearing his plea, a message came. "Finally!" Axel shouted as he typed in a reply.
~~~
>>> Hexel: I'm fine with that. So, taking the 50% increase to the market price, it'd be 3 million Colts each, right?
>>> WitchyGura: Yes...
>>> Hexel: Then that should be fine. Let's proceed with the trade.
~~~
The doll fetched 10 million at the auction, but that's because there was competition. Thus, the price being a fifth of its final auction price should be fair... Axel thought. Of course, he didn't notice how WitchyGura was literally crying bitterly on the other end of the chat.
Still, she paid 1.5x the market price as promised. Each doll was sold for 3 million Colts, earning Axel a total of roughly 307 million Colts in one go!
A price that Axel himself wasn't expecting to get in one go, if at all!
"This much should be more than enough!"
Axel stood up and, without hesitation, changed the window to the shop catalog instead.
He had already spent 2 hours and 44 minutes running, crafting, and selling the items, so he literally had no more time left. Even if he got a bike, he definitely wouldn't make it to the target location in time.
What worried him more was that, given the time that passed, Arianne should've met with the refugees by now. Still, the quest didn't seem to have changed at all. The risk was still present... meaning Arianne could be in danger instead.
"...No choice!"
Buying only the necessities was Axel's motto, but given the direness of the situation, he couldn't be choosy. He quickly swiped toward the vehicle section, and with a trembling finger, paid the deposit for a...
...
Turning back time, about 45 minutes before Axel wrapped up his business.
Within the darkness, several figures could be faintly seen running under the light of the moon beyond thick clouds. With how little light they had, they could barely see where they were running. Still, they didn't lose their way.
After all, in the distance, they could see the white light that was glowing as if a beacon of hope calling to them.
"S-Sister... I... can't run anymore...!"
"What are you saying, Karen?! You'll die if you stop running!"
But of course, running away from zombies for two hours would take a toll on anyone. Axel, for one, could only run for half an hour nonstop at most before he'd start wheezing... just like earlier.
But these refugees, bodies tired and hungry, were squeezing all their remaining energy to run away.
After all, behind them was a large swarm of zombies, stubbornly chasing after them.
The little girl who had just complained, however, was way too hungry and too tired to continue. In a lapse of attention, she ended up tripping on a stone and falling to the ground. Her gray hair spread as she hit her nose on the ground, bleeding profusely.
"Karen...!"
The older sister, with the same-colored hair and eyes, panicked upon seeing this scene.
She quickly rushed back and picked up her sister, carrying her in a tight embrace. "Don't give up! We're almost at the light...!" she uttered, as if trying to keep her heart anchored to hope.
Of course, her words were nothing but an empty promise.
They had been running for hours, but the light never seemed to get closer. They couldn't tell if it was moving away, or if it was simply too far for them to reach that quickly.
"GRAAAAGH!"
"N-Noooo! Agh!"
But just as she was systematically moving her legs, which felt as heavy as lead from fatigue, a cry of pain echoed from behind. Glancing back, she saw one of the male residents alongside them fall prey to a Pouncer—a variant of zombies that could move fast and jump about as tall as a person.
"Hiik...!"
Despite her blurry vision from overfatigue, she saw the scene very clearly.
Fear gripped her heart, making her regret looking back. She turned forward, praying, thankful that it wasn't her who had been pounced on.
Thankfully, there was only one Pouncer. And by default, it doesn't attack others while it's not done eating its last prey. If not for this behavior, their little group of over 50 people would've been wiped out by now.
'Move...! Faster...! Move...!'
She repeated those words in her head, as if trying to make herself forget the scene she saw and the fear gnawing at her heart.
Her heart was firm... but unfortunately, she had abused her body for far too long. All of a sudden, her legs cramped. The pain was one thing, but the problem was that thanks to it, she couldn't move her legs.
"Ah..."
She fell forward but quickly spun to land on her back, protecting her sister within her embrace.
"Sister..." Karen called, her voice trembling and weak. "I... love you..."
"...!"
The woman felt a twinge in her heart at that moment. Neither she nor Karen could move now. All they could do was wait for their coming end.
None of the other refugees even bothered stopping to help them up. They were all busy running for their lives. Thus, Karen and her sister, Angela, knew that they were done for.
"I'm sorry, Karen..." Angela cried, pulling Karen into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry..." she repeated.
The sound of zombies groaning and moving was getting closer.
She could tell that there was no saving them anymore... or was there?
"Stay down!"
A gallant voice, along with a bright flash of light, reached the sisters' side. And with a single swing of her glinting silver blade, zombies fell, turning into stinky green puddles on the ground.
"Don't worry, you're all safe now!" The intruder, Arianne, shouted with reassurance. "For I, Arianne von Plassus, have arrived to protect you!"