Chapter 386: Galau (1/2)

“I am sorry, I am flattered but I am interested in the fairer sex,” Ogras said without waiting for Galau to speak up again. “As for this guy, I’m not sure? I think he’s converted to ascetic cultivation for some reason.”

Galau blankly looked at Ogras for a few seconds, obviously unable to compute what the demon was talking about.

“What? No! I like.. I like the ladies as well,” Galau stammered. “I was just making conversation. I have been here for so long and it simply gets a bit tedious after a while, so I like making new friends.”

“Oh, how long have you been here?” Zac asked with interest.

He knew that Ogras hinted at the fact that Galau might be a scammer, but Zac didn’t care. He was interested in learning more about the Allbright Empire, and they were in need of information. If this guy had been here for a while he surely had a general sense of the situation.

“I only have a month before I need to leave this place,” the man sighed. “It’s a shame. There are not many places where so many forces can gather and display their wares. Interesting treasures and techniques keep appearing in the auction houses.”

Zac could only shake his head with a wry smile. There was nothing to gain by comparing oneself to others. This man seemed to have taken his visit to the Tower as an opportunity to relax and do some shopping, while Zac was here to fight for the future of his planet. But someone like this could be quite useful as well.

“So you’re knowledgeable about the shops in the Base Town?” Zac asked curiously.

“I have gained some understanding of what’s available, except what’s in stock in the top tier firms,” Galau nodded.

“How are the auction schedules? Are there any interesting ones coming up?” Ogras immediately asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Interesting Auctions?” Galau thoughtfully repeated. “I hear that a main branch member of the Talovor Trappings arrived a week ago, they are holding an auction of their wares in three days.”

“What kind of wares?” Ogras asked.

“Mainly wearable treasures. Rings, Amulets, bracelets. That family consists of both craftsmen and traders, and they almost only sell their own wares. Their specialty is defensive treasures, so I expect the auction will turn quite heated,” Galau dutifully explained.

Zac nodded in understanding. Ogras had already explained that defensive treasures and arrays were suppressed in the Tower, but not completely. Having a great defensive treasure could still save your life or allow you to reach a higher floor. It was no wonder that such things would be in high demand at a place like this.

Normally Zac wouldn’t mind spending some of his money on defensive treasures to supplement those he had, but he was hesitant to spend too much money until he managed to get his hands on his top priority items; medicine for Alea and a shield.

”Do these Talovor sell shields as well?” he probed.

”Like physical ones?” Galau asked with surprise. ”No. They focus on consumable and rechargeable defensive treasures. For a shield you would either have to find a blacksmith outside of this place or hope that one appears at the general auctions. The System gives them out sometimes as quest rewards to people who don't want them, and they sell them here to make some money.”

Zac only sighed in understanding, not too surprised about what Galau said. It was essentially the same as what Calrin had mentioned before. Most good shields were custom-made since they were so expensive.

“Anything else?” Ogras probed.

“Let’s see…” Galau muttered as his brows furrowed. “The Naspheyi clan holds a weekly auction, the next one is tomorrow evening. The quality of the auction can vary a lot, but it’s never too bad. Sometimes amazing items appear as well. Visiting cultivators usually go to them to sell off items they don’t need in order to gather money for other treasures before attempting the climb. There are a few more places like this, but Naspheyi is generally the most reputable among those open to the public.”

Zac shot a look at Ogras, only to see the demon’s eyes glazing over. Zac finally remembered that attending auctions was one of Ogras' favorite pastimes back in the day, and he sighed with exasperation. The demon was supposed to be helping with information gathering, but he was daydreaming about going on a shopping spree.

“Have you heard of Trentach Society?” Zac asked, remembering the man they met by the stairs.

“Trentach? It’s a high-grade general store,” the youth said. “They carry almost everything, but they do not really stand out in any department. Trentach is actually a cooperative venture between eight allied clans who run the store together. None of the clans can be considered a supreme force, but their combined might is nothing to scoff at.”

“How do you define the grade of the stores?” Zac asked curiously.

“By how close you are to the tower. It’s graded the same as most things, from low to peak. Of course, the grade of a business doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the wares. But it is usually indicative of quality,” Galau explained. ”This restaurant could barely be considered medium grade, for example, but their food is above average.”

“I am looking for top tier healing treasures, do you know where I could find that?” Zac asked as he kicked the demon under the table to wake him up from his dreams of auctions.

“Healing treasures?” Galau repeated with some confusion. “You can get them at any pill shop, they are everywhere. Or do you mean something specific?”

“I am looking for something that can heal a fractured soul,” Zac explained, not opting to lie.

There were likely various pills with soul-mending capabilities in the pill shops, but an extraordinary treasure was needed to heal a fractured soul. It wasn’t as simple as a soul wound.