There were several types of each race: elves, dwarves, harpies, sea folk, and there were also several of hybrid species like half-orcs and hobgoblins. More than 100 children emerged from nearby alleys until finally, a teenage elf dressed in rags, just like the rest, appeared and approached Alex's group.

"Good day, sir, could you please release my little brother?" the young elf spoke with a grace that contrasted with his appearance.

"Sure, if you promise not to try to cause me any trouble again," Alex said, still not letting go of the boy.

The young elf nodded to the kids surrounding them, and they put down the stones they had in their hands. Alex then let go of the boy but kept him close, albeit with a looser grip.

"By the way, sir, my name is Liev. I see that you're not from around here. Would you like a tour service?" the young man asked, unflinching. However, Alex could see a certain anxiety in his eyes when he noticed that he was not releasing the child.

"My name is Alex, and I'm here for business, not as a tourist, so I don't need a guide."

The little one chuckled and replied, "Sir, we know you're new here. Otherwise, you wouldn't have walked into the ghetto instead of going in the opposite direction where the markets are."

Alex remained composed, even when he was exposed. He turned the situation around and decided that he might be able to use this young man's help, but first, he decided to test him.

"And how do you know I'm not on the way to my contacts?"

"Sir, I can tell for a simple reason: you're a human, the only human seen in this city since it was founded. Besides, you're traveling with gnolls who are unchained. Everything about you screams 'new.'"

The reason was much stupider than he thought, but at least he had learned that there were no humans in this city.

"Very well, you win, kid. I don't know who you work for, so introduce me to your employer."

"I don't have an employer, sir, although I do have some friends. Could you tell me what kind of business you want to attend to? Maybe then I can introduce you to the right friend," the young elf emphasized the word 'friends.'

Alex had some apprehension. It was clear that these supposed friends would be shady contacts, and although he had put on a facade of having experience dealing with them, the truth was that he was quite reluctant to do business with them. He preferred legitimate deals, even if they yielded much less profit than other means.

"I have a variety of forest herbs for trade, all from the forest. Some of them are quite special."

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What Alex said immediately piqued the young man's curiosity. Alex could see the greed in the young man's eyes for a few brief moments before he composed himself.

"And what are you looking for in return?"

"Weapons and supplies."

Once again, the young man was taken by surprise, and Alex knew that this young man must mean something more to someone who was so well-informed. Definitely, someone was helping him.

"Is this battle against someone? Perhaps, sir, are you a mercenary for the Golden League?"

Alex, however, remained unfazed and did not respond to the young man's comments.

"No? Perhaps you're participating in the Lasrak invasion? With Martel's Expedition?" The young man continued to probe Alex for a response, but Alex kept his poker face.

"Will you take me or not? I don't have all day to wait."

"Ah, my apologies, of course, sir. I know which friend is best for you, but let me confirm one thing first: do you really have forest medicinal herbs, the good ones from the forest?" The young elf emphasized the last part.

"I know what I have, and I know it's of good quality. I'm sure the herbs can help the right people."

With that, the young man finally accepted that Alex knew what he was dealing with.

"All right, Sir Alex, I can offer you two options. Firstly, I have a friend who has small-scale operations in the market, completely legal."

"I suppose the issue is that he won't be able to buy everything, or he'll offer me a lower price than what's fair, in that case," Alex said, raising an eyebrow.

"It may or may not be the case," the young man shrugged. "Secondly, I know that a wealthy group recently arrived in the city. They have many problems, especially trust issues," the young man lowered his voice on the last part.

"They're not friends, huh?" It was a rather difficult decision, but for some reason, Alex felt inclined to take the risk. Somehow, the first option was not ruled out if the second one went wrong. "Take me to your acquaintances."

"I understand, Sir. Follow me. Michel, take the kids back home; there will be dinner tonight."

The group of children shouted cheerfully and began to retreat like the receding tide.

Alex followed the young man through the city streets. He even began to give him a brief tour and explained where each essential building that a newcomer needed to know was located.

Finally, they entered a district that clearly belonged to the high society. Here, the small houses gave way to large mansions with plenty of space.

"We're heading to Marquis Rhenar's villa, which belongs to an elven kingdom. But I don't know why he's here; rumors say he's stranded because he hasn't left the city for a couple of years, despite how much he apparently hates it." At this point, more high-society people were milling around them, and both stood out like a sore thumb. After all, they were both clad in rags, but the human was obviously in better condition and well-fed, defying the vagabond stereotype and drawing attention, especially since he was a human.

"Why are they looking at us so much?" Alex asked, lowering his voice.

"They've probably never seen a human before," Liev responded, thinking that the answer was obvious. They were poor people in a rich place, so people would suspect they were trying to steal something, given that they had these large beasts of burden with them.

People began to ask all sorts of questions around them. After all, these mounts were extremely useful, but equally difficult to obtain and domesticate. For a couple of ragged individuals to have them, everyone would think it was more realistic to believe they had stolen them.

It didn't take long before someone mustered the courage to shout, "There are the thieves!"

An elf who looked like he had just reached maturity was running in their direction with a group of guards.

"Guards, arrest these thieves. They dared to steal my three newly acquired Fheres at yesterday's auction."