Thale goes to the market square, to broaden his horizons. There are many different stalls and vendors at the market square, each selling a wide variety of goods and services. Thale wanders through the crowd, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling marketplace. He notices that there are many people from all walks of life here, from wealthy merchants and nobles to humble peasants and beggars.
As he wanders through the market, Thale sees many different things for sale, including fresh produce, exotic spices, rare herbs, and all manner of handmade crafts and trinkets. He also sees people performing all sorts of tasks, from fortune telling and palm reading to animal taming and acrobatics.
Thale is particularly interested in the various merchants and traders who are selling rare and valuable goods. He approaches one of them and asks about the prices of various items, hoping to find something that he can sell in order to make a little bit of money. The merchant tells him that there is a high demand for rare and exotic items and that he might be able to fetch a good price for something like a unique weapon or magical artifact.
Thale thanks the merchant for his information and continues to explore the market, searching for any opportunities to make a bit of money. He knows that he will need to be resourceful and cunning if he hopes to succeed in his quest for revenge against the pirates who harmed Elara.
Thale finds an auction house. He enters the auction house and looks around at the various items on display. He notices that there are several valuable cultivation techniques and rare resources being auctioned off. Thale doesn't have much money, but he decides to try his luck and see if he can find a good deal. He approaches the auctioneer and asks about the bidding process. The auctioneer explains that the bids start at a certain price and increase incrementally as more people bid on the item. Thale decides to try and bid on a low-priced cultivation technique that he thinks might be useful. He watches as the bidding starts and quickly realizes that he doesn't have enough money to compete with the other bidders. He decides to wait and see if there are any other opportunities to bid on items that might be more within his price range. As he watches the auction, he starts to get an idea of what items are in high demand and what the going rates are for different items. He begins to formulate a plan to save up money and try to bid on more valuable items in the future.
Thale is looking at a herb in the auction house's shop. The herb is a rare type of medicinal plant with bright green leaves and small purple flowers. It is said to have powerful healing properties and is highly sought after by cultivators and healers. The shopkeeper tells Thale that it is very expensive, as it is rare and difficult to cultivate. Thale asks about the price and the shopkeeper quotes a steep price. Thale is hesitant to spend so much on a single herb, but he knows that it could be valuable in his cultivation journey. He decides to save up and try to purchase the herb in the future. In the meantime, he continues to look around the auction house and gather more information about the prices and availability of different items.
An old man walks in and buys many herbs. Thale is surprised by the old man's wealth and decides to strike up a conversation with him. He introduces himself and asks the old man about his business. The old man, who introduces himself as Li, tells Thale that he is a herb dealer/alchemist and that he travels all over the kingdom to collect rare and valuable herbs to sell in his shop. Thale is fascinated by Li's knowledge of herbs and asks him if he knows of any that can help him with his cultivation. Li nods and tells Thale that there are many herbs that can aid in cultivation, but they are rare and expensive. Thale thanks Li for his help and decides to come back to the shop later to see if he can find any herbs that he can afford. As he leaves the shop, Thale can't help but think about how he can make more money so that he can afford to buy the herbs he needs for his cultivation journey.
Li gives Thale the address of his shop and asks him to visit. Thale thanks Li and heads to his shop later in the day. When he arrives, he sees that it is a small, but well-stocked store. Li is behind the counter, grinding herbs into a fine powder. Thale approaches and greets him.
"Ah, welcome my young friend," Li says, looking up from his work. "What brings you to my humble shop?"
"I was just looking for some information," Thale says. "I'm trying to find out who the richest people in the city are."
Li nods. "I see. Well, there are a few families in the city that are known for their wealth. The Chen family is one of them. They own a large trading company and have connections all over the empire. The Li family is also quite wealthy. They own several mines and have a monopoly on the iron trade in the city. And of course, there's the Wang family. They are the oldest and most influential family in the city. They have their fingers in just about every pie you can think of."
Thale thanks Li for the information and heads back to the inn to think about his next move.