https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1329-A-Transaction-with-Hidden-Motives/12528290/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1331-Dark-Wizards-Battle-Death-Eaters-/12528292/
Chapter 1330: Blacker than a Death Eater
Chapter 1330: Blacker than a Death Eater
After Harry left the shelter, Albert, concealed under a Disillusionment Charm, quietly retraced his steps and silently controlled Ragnok and Gawnuk, who were conspiring in Gobbledegook.
"As expected, they're all cut from the same cloth."
Better than anyone, Albert understood how difficult it was to persuade the goblins to betray their kind and assist in stealing from Gringotts' vaults.
Harry's offer of the Sword of Gryffindor as compensation truly carried significant weight.
However, the goblins never expected them to keep their word, yet they still yearned to possess the sword.
Their little scheme couldn't hide from Albert, who had honed his Legilimency skills to a high level.
From the start, Albert had never placed his hopes on the goblins' integrity.
He wasn't that foolish.
And the goblins reciprocated that distrust.
Thus, he had to stick to his own plan, which was undoubtedly more reliable.
Although it had a hint of being overly clever, most of the time, he still preferred to trust in his own wit and judgment.
This was a common trait among most geniuses.
Even though Albert was a fake, a fake genius was still a genius.
Albert's confidence stemmed from his capabilities.
Once again, he employed Legilimency, delving deeper into the goblins' minds to extract more useful information.
For instance, after learning that the ancient goblin, Bogrod, was the key to opening the Lestrange vault, Albert experienced the limits of Legilimency, or perhaps, the limits of the goblins' minds.
Goblin brains weren't like books that could be browsed through at will.
If he intensified his Legilimency, it would cause irreversible damage to their brains.
Considering that there was no deep-seated hatred between them, and the fact that the goblins before him would be instrumental in Harry's infiltration of Gringotts, Albert halted his Legilimency before it could affect the two goblins' minds. He then prepared to employ other methods to gather the necessary intelligence.
Looking at the two goblins before him, Albert felt that Harry should be grateful to him. Otherwise, before searching for Horcruxes, Harry would also have to deal with the goblins' scheming, which would be a troublesome affair.
After dealing with the two goblins for Harry, Albert planned to pay a visit to the ancient goblin, Bogrod, without any delay.
Months ago, that fellow had moved back to a site near the ruins of an ancient goblin kingdom.
This was thanks to the lessons learned from Voldemort's first rise to power, which had dealt a heavy blow to the goblins. As a result, they established a temporary goblin village near the thousand-year-old ruins of their ancient kingdom.
After Voldemort's return was announced once more, many goblins moved their homes deep underground to avoid being singled out and mercilessly slaughtered by Death Eaters.
In fact, similar incidents had already occurred not long after Voldemort's resurgence.
Ludo Bagman, recruited due to the shortage of Death Eaters, colluded with other Death Eaters to take revenge on the goblins for their relentless debt collection, intimidation, harassment, and harm inflicted upon him. Together, they murdered and ransacked several goblin households, and the exquisite goblin silverware they acquired drove the impoverished Death Eaters almost insane with greed.
The goblins weren't being targeted without reason.
Although the probability was low, goblin silverware was extremely valuable.
As the Disillusionment Charm around him faded, Albert felt the cool raindrops falling on his head as he stood near the entrance to the underground goblin kingdom.
He conjured an umbrella with his wand to shield himself from the rain and then proceeded toward his expected destination.
It was said that this used to be one of the entrances to the goblin kingdom, but now, the ruins at the entrance had completely eroded, leaving no traces behind. Ordinary wizards would probably not even be able to locate the entrance.
If not for glimpsing Gawnuk's memories, he wouldn't have been able to find this place.
Albert easily located the entrance without any obstacles and found a completely abandoned ruin inside, with some surprising things scattered around.
There were some luminescent mosses.
The magical world always had its surprises.
Albert collected some of the luminescent moss using magic and continued to explore the cave.
This place had been thoroughly deserted, leaving only an excavated, abandoned cave.
However, in an area that resembled a mushroom field, Albert discovered a large patch of gray mushrooms that he couldn't identify.
According to records, goblins consumed meat, tubers, and various types of fungi.
After collecting some mushroom samples, Albert continued deeper into the cave until...
Staring at the abyss before him, Albert felt his scalp tingle.
Moreover, he could sense the residual magic lingering in the surrounding area.
He didn't know if the magic was still active, but directly invading the goblins' former underground kingdom didn't seem like a wise choice.
"I must be out of my mind!" Albert scoffed at himself as he gazed into the abyss, "When did I become so arrogant and reckless?"
The abyss before him wasn't the problem; he could easily blast his way through. However, the issue was that he wasn't the Dark Lord, and forcefully barging in would likely alert other goblins. Additionally, the intricate underground maze could easily leave him in a dire situation, which wasn't worth the risk.
There was clearly a better solution to this predicament.
Albert intended to have a goblin assist him in reaching the goblin gathering place.
There was also a more convenient method—taking a cart directly from Gringotts.
However, since the Death Eaters had taken control of Gringotts, the place was under strict surveillance. Otherwise, using the second option to go directly to Gringotts and control Bogrod would have been a good choice.
The only problem was that he had to control Bogrod silently, without arousing any suspicion, and ensure that he didn't lose his position and authority at Gringotts; otherwise, everything would become meaningless.
Between venturing deeper underground and employing the second option, Albert chose to go with a third plan—he would have a Death Eater help him with this task.
After all, it wouldn't be surprising for Death Eaters to do something like this.
As for who would bear the brunt of this scheme, Albert had already selected his candidate.
It was his old friend, Ludo Bagman.
Given Ludo Bagman's history with the goblins, it wouldn't be strange for him to do something excessive.
Who could blame Ludo Bagman for being poor?
Many Dark Wizards would jump at the chance to make a quick fortune.
Through scrying, Albert easily located Ludo Bagman, who was currently fencing stolen goods at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade.
Disguising himself once more, Albert stealthily infiltrated Hogsmeade without much difficulty.
There were plenty of Dark Wizards here, and they didn't care whether you were a Muggle-born or not.
The only problem was the potential encounter with Dementors.
Yaxley used Dementors as hounds, and if any Dark Wizard caused trouble in Hogsmeade, the Death Eaters would release the Dementors to deal with the troublemakers.
Moreover, Dementors could easily see through disguises, and he believed that even with the use of Polyjuice Potion or complex potions, those terrifying creatures would still recognize him.
If that were to happen, he would undoubtedly be surrounded.
Although Albert wasn't worried about that, he didn't want to cause a commotion and attract unnecessary trouble. According to his plan, the one who would stir up trouble for the Death Eaters was a Dark Wizard who had come to Hogsmeade for a transaction.
It was normal for conflicts to arise between Dark Wizards due to certain matters, and it wouldn't be surprising if people died as a result.
After all, Dark Magic was dangerous.
"It seems I need some luck."
Albert muttered as he popped a Felix Felicis into his mouth. Under the watchful eyes of his house-elf, he disguised himself as a Dark Wizard and prepared to venture into Hogsmeade.
Last night, I accidentally lost the draft and couldn't recover it no matter what I tried, which left me in a funk for a long time. I had no choice but to rewrite it.
(End of Chapter)
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