Away from the bustling marketers are narrow alleys where less savory business goes on. Nearly anything can be had in Nectar, if one knows where to ask. Right now guns are a major trade item as the simmering revolt in the Coprates Valley begins to heat up. Ironically, another commodity traded in the Mercantile Sector is "Gumme, " the chief product of the Belgian plantations in the valley.
Along the quayside, stretching from the boat harbor clear to the watergate on the Alkaara Slonn Canal is "Watertown. " The boats and barges here seldom move, remaining tied up until they rot and sink. These serve as home for itinerant boatmen temporarily without a berth. Smugglers operate out of the " Watertown, " as do minor peddlers of vice catering to the boatmen. Major peddlers of vice can be found in the Entertainment Sector.
Theft is rampant in the Mercantile Sector, but since most merchants have guards, a fair number of would-be thieves wind up floating in the Canal. At night the district shuts down almost completely and it is then that the streets become quite dangerous.
Prices in Nectar are generally fairly low, except for agricultural products, which must be imported. Terran goods have a fifty to one hundred percent markup. Locally-produced goods such as textiles, pottery, or glassware cost between fifty and seventy-five percent of the normal price.