Chapter 535: A Clean Getaway
Chapter 535: A Clean Getaway
"Greedy? Headmaster Dumbledore, I don't understand." Sirius Black, hearing some of what Dumbledore muttered as he put away the Golden Cup and gazed at the opposite vault, asked.
Liam had also wanted to ask about this but was beaten to it by Sirius Black. It seemed that even after spending over a decade in prison, Sirius Black still retained his youthful vigor and emotional nature. Of course, it might also be that his time in prison stunted his mental development.
"Ah, yes." Dumbledore, asked by Sirius Black, immediately retracted his gaze from the piles of treasure in the neighboring vault. "I can be certain that the Lestrange couple will use everything here for Voldemort's cause, so I was just thinking whether we could destroy the wealth in this vault. Of course, that's just a dream. For safety reasons, we should leave now. Our purpose here has been achieved."
It seemed Dumbledore was a principled man, not as rigid as people thought. But then again, someone who could propose the slogan 'for the greater good' in his youth couldn't possibly be a rigid person.
"No, your thoughts just now were correct", Sirius Black responded to Dumbledore's words. "If that's the case, why don't we take these things with us?"
"Gringotts has placed a lot of magic on each treasure to ensure they can't be taken away without proper authorization. Although this magic isn't particularly complex for me, I can't break it in a short time", Dumbledore shook his head. "And destroying these items would alert Gringotts, which could draw Voldemort's attention prematurely."
"That... is indeed a pity." Sirius Black looked somewhat dejected, deeply regretting the loss of such a good opportunity to strike a blow against Voldemort.
"I think I can at least destroy some of these items without being detected", Liam suddenly said as Dumbledore was leading him and Sirius Black away. He pulled out a black iron rod from his spatial bag, about as tall as a person and as thick as a grip, with red, yellow, and green metal bands wrapped around it at the ends and the middle. It looked much like a construction rebar, but the bands gave it a unique appearance. "I originally intended to use this to force open the vault door, but it can now be put to good use here."
"Oh? Let me see." Dumbledore took the iron rod, and Liam regretted not having a camera to capture this moment. The Headmaster's Gandalf-like image would have been priceless.
"Ah, I see." Dumbledore examined the iron rod briefly and figured out its use. "Liam, your alchemy skills truly surprise me. I can sense that this can destroy most of the magic on magical artifacts, turning them into ordinary items."
"Indeed", Liam nodded under the approving gazes of the two elders, then added regretfully, "The only problem is that its effectiveness is proportional to the magic power input. I can't be certain I can strip all the magic from the artifacts in the vault."
"I think you can leave this task to me", Dumbledore said with a mischievous glint in his eyes, winking at Liam. "After all, they call me the greatest white wizard in the world. I believe I can make good use of this magical item."
After a brief joke, Dumbledore turned and made a small gesture with the iron rod towards the Lestrange family's vault. As he waved it, a series of gray mists emanated from the rod's tip, eventually enveloping the entire vault.
Standing by the opening, Liam and the others watched the mist. Suddenly, a faint sound, like soap bubbles popping, began to emanate from the mist. This popping sound acted like a starting signal, and soon more and more pops filled the air, growing denser and louder. Eventually, the sound was like that of a vigorously shaken beer can being suddenly opened, with a burst of bubbles exploding.
Five minutes later, the final popping sound faded, along with the gray mist that had filled the vault. However, the green metal band at the top of the iron rod was now riddled with cracks. Sirius Black, curious, poked his head in to look. He found that the neighboring vault looked no different from before: everything was still in its place, and every piece of gold and jewelry was still gleaming.
"Feels just the same as before!" Sirius Black blurted out. Liam thought that someone as emotional as Sirius really shouldn’t mix with the scheming Purebloods, or he’d end up offending a lot of people.
Fortunately, Dumbledore wasn’t one of those dark and brooding traditional Pureblood clan members. He was more than happy to explain the situation to his former student. "Indeed, they do look the same as before. But that’s exactly what we wanted. The mist we released earlier has actually penetrated those objects and connected all the magical power within the room. By blending this magical power and then infusing it back into each item, we’ve destroyed all the magic-containing objects in the Vault. So even though they look the same, all the Magic Artifacts and Magical Materials in this room are now useless."
"This is really—” Sirius Black scratched his head, but soon broke into a grin. As a member of the Black family, he had a fair amount of magical knowledge, but the clan’s legacy focused mainly on Dark Magic. Even though Dumbledore had explained it clearly, Sirius was still confused. However, that didn’t stop him from feeling excited.
"So, we’ve destroyed one of Voldemort’s Vaults without being detected by Gringotts’ Goblins?" Sirius Black seized on the key point.
"Indeed, we’ve achieved an unexpected victory", Liam said, taking the Iron Rod from Professor Dumbledore with a hint of regret. This Iron Rod was specifically prepared for this infiltration of Gringotts. Although primarily made of Valyrian Steel, it was internally embedded with thousands of tiny three-dimensional runes and hundreds of pea-sized gems as its core. If it were damaged, it would take at least half a month to remake.
Dumbledore’s magical power output had exceeded the design limits, causing at least a third of the runes inside the alchemical product to malfunction. Fortunately, Liam had incorporated a principle similar to fuses in electrical circuits, allowing the device to withstand the overload by sacrificing some of the runes. So, he only needed to repair a few simple runes, rather than having the entire device become useless like traditional alchemical devices.
"Alright, Liam. Restore the area now. We need to leave before the Gringotts Goblins come to check", Dumbledore interrupted Liam and Sirius Black’s conversation.
"Of course, Headmaster." Liam gave one last look at the Lestrange Family Vault, now a golden facade hiding a hollow interior. He drew his wand and began repairing the wall. Having a thorough understanding of the defenses, Liam’s actions were much quicker this time. In less than two minutes, the wall was restored to its original state, and everything looked exactly as it had when they first arrived.
After a final check, Dumbledore altered the Dragon’s memory and woke it up, then repeated the process with the Goblin.
"You’re finally done", the Goblin said, showing a hint of impatience in his eyes, though he dared not express it openly in Dumbledore’s presence. "Honestly, a Vault isn’t a good place to resolve disputes."
It seemed Dumbledore had implanted the memory of him and Sirius Black haggling in the Vault. Liam listened to the Goblin’s careful complaint and smoothly made his way through the Fire Dragon to the cart, retracing their steps to the surface.
After exiting Gringotts, Liam reflected that using a high-yield nuclear bomb to blast a path or riding a Dragon out of the underground would certainly get the job done, but the commotion would be too great. This quiet entry and exit, taking what they needed without leaving a trace, was the true mark of a master.
(End of Chapter)
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