It's clear that Shrike is giving this information some good thought. He has personal experience at both ends of the extreme, after all, as well as having visited at least a few other lands within his own world. And yet, this place seems to be entirely different altogether.

"Even in a center of trade, only those with means truly have access to all being exchanged there..." he muses, half to himself. "From what you describe, even the poorest here must live nearly like minor nobility."