After passing a row of bustling hat shops, they saw an alley squeezed between two workshops.
"This is Tie Wu Alley," Uriel said.
After saying that, he sank into recollection. "As I remember it, Tie Wu Alley was a loop-shaped alley about two hundred meters long, with several exits, all leading to the bridgefront district across the way."
"The bridgefront district has waterways that lead directly to the city center, so many people use Tie Wu Alley as a shortcut."
"As for Tie Wu Alley itself... it seemed to be mostly a gathering place for street vendors."
Uriel looked slightly embarrassed as he continued, "I've only been to Tie Wu Alley once, so I'm not very familiar with it. That one time, I didn't stop at all—I just passed straight through in a carriage."
He had only glimpsed the stalls on either side through the carriage curtains. He had no idea what they actually sold.
"Uriel got one thing right: Tie Wu Alley is indeed mostly filled with street stalls," Glaimo smoothly took over. "What they sell mainly depends on which stretch of the alley you're in."
Tie Wu Alley had several sections, divided by its turns.
In the first few sections, the stalls mostly sold hat accessories. In the later sections, they sold all manner of odds and ends, nearly all of them secondhand.
"But the most distinctive part is the middle section. The things sold there are all rather unusual."
The expression on Glaimo's face carried obvious nostalgia, as though he knew the middle stretch of the alley well.
"Unusual things?" Everyone looked over curiously. "Such as?"
Glaimo nodded and did not keep them guessing. "Antiques, for instance. Imported goods from other countries, even other continents, and strange, bizarre objects whose purpose can't be discerned..."
"There was a