Talk to the zealot in Joppa, get the quest to go to the Stilt, then kill the zealot (you won’t get in trouble for it), take his book, then raid the three chests in the enclosed rooms (shut the door behind you first!)

That’ll give you some stuff to trade.

Then go up to the Stilt - it’s a long trek but you get like four levels worth of experiencre from that quest just for showing up!