Chapter 889: The Fake Goblin in Gringotts
Chapter 889: The Fake Goblin in Gringotts
"What's going on? Nothing?"
In Diagon Alley, Kyle asked thrice, but Dobby's response remained the same—he knew nothing about it.
He hadn't seen anyone bring in Gillon, let alone Nat.
"That's strange." Kyle sat behind the counter.
Professor Snape had said he sent Gillon over, but Dobby insisted he hadn't received him, and neither of them was lying.
But what about Gillon...he couldn't have just vanished into thin air.
Just then, an owl flew in from outside and dropped a letter onto the table.
"A letter from Romania?" Kyle snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at the envelope before opening it and pulling out a piece of parchment.
Dear Kyle,
Regarding our previous discussion, my apologies for the delay. The goblins have been stalling and refusing to move the vault that rightfully belongs to them (those greedy fellows, when it's clearly our gold).
Interestingly, their kind is just as greedy. The British goblins finally arrived, a bit late, but it's done at last. I hope you haven't been waiting too anxiously.
Your new vault is at 166 Gringotts, UK. The key is enclosed with this letter, and we will also send Gillon to that vault.
[Personally, I think it's more secure to keep Gillon with you, even though Gringotts is convenient. Those goblins are not to be trusted.]
Yours faithfully,
Durols Blatt
...
The letter was from the Fire Dragon Reserve, and enclosed with it was a golden key, presumably for the Gringotts vault.
Kyle excitedly held the key in his hand—it was over six thousand three hundred Gillon, and he had finally received it after such a long wait.
At this moment, Professor Snape and all else were forgotten by Kyle... The compensation he had offered was but a drop in the bucket compared to this.
This was a truly massive sum.
Moreover, he shared the same sentiment as Durols.
It was safer to keep the Gillon on his person; goblins couldn't be trusted.
"Dobby, I'm leaving the store in your care."
With that thought, Kyle rose abruptly and set off toward Gringotts, intending to withdraw the money.
Although Dumbledore's resignation as headmaster of Hogwarts had caused a stir in the wizarding world, it hadn't affected Diagon Alley, which remained as quiet and deserted as before.
As Kyle walked, he pondered whether to write back to Durols.
If possible, he wanted to ask if they could bypass Gringotts and send his share of the Gillon directly to him.
If so, he wouldn't have to make annual trips to Gringotts.
It should be...possible, right?
From Durols' last sentence, it was clear that he didn't trust the goblins either.
Kyle simply didn't want to deal with the goblins, even though they looked similar to house-elves; the feeling they gave off was completely different.
Especially their robber-like mentality and extremely selfish personalities.
In the goblins' worldview, anything they crafted rightfully belonged to them.
Godric Gryffindor had once provided his own materials and paid a hefty sum to the Goblin King to forge a sword, the now-famous Gryffindor Sword.
But after the sword was completed, the Goblin King was reluctant to hand it over to Gryffindor. After being forced to relinquish it, he spread rumors that Gryffindor had stolen the sword and even attempted to send his servants to steal it back.
The goblins were quite a handful a thousand years ago, with far superior strength compared to the present; most wizards wouldn't stand a chance against them in a one-on-one fight.
If it had been anyone else, the goblins might have succeeded, but unfortunately for them, they had encountered Gryffindor—the least concerned about face among the Four Founders, and also the best dueler (according to "Legendary Dueling Master, Gryffindor's Honor" in the Hogwarts Library, possibly with a bit of idolatry).
Thus, the Goblin King's servants were beaten, and under Gryffindor's show of force, the Goblin King gave up on the idea of stealing back the sword.
However, the title of [Thief Gryffindor] lived on among the goblins, indicating their lingering greed and obsession with the sword.
Moreover, some extremist goblins even believed that any treasures stored in Gringotts belonged to them... In their eyes, wizards withdrawing their money were no different from burglars breaking into their homes.
There were quite a few idiots who held such views.
Whenever Kyle interacted with these goblins, he couldn't help but want to cast a Fiery Net Curse and give them a good scorching.
However, one had to admit that Gringotts' existence was indeed convenient for many wizards, especially those of Muggle birth.
Gringotts was the only place they could exchange Galleons during their school years.
So, even though Kyle disliked the goblins, he had to acknowledge their importance...
...
The store wasn't far from Gringotts, and soon, Kyle spotted the distinctive white building.
He recalled a photo in the Prophet a while back, showing Gringotts after an attack, with cracks on the outer walls and two of the pillar-like doors broken.
However, there was no trace of that now; Gringotts looked just as it had before, as if nothing had ever happened.
Goblins in uniform stood on either side of the entrance, holding long, thin golden rods.
They were Truth-Testing rods, capable of detecting hidden curses and magical items.
It seemed the previous attack had made these goblins more vigilant.
Kyle glanced at his Chameleonic Lizard Skin Pouch and walked up the stairs nonchalantly, his right hand concealed behind his back, with just a tiny bit of his wand's tip peeking out from his sleeve.
As he ascended the steps, the two goblins simultaneously raised their golden rods.
"Confundo!"
The wand tip flashed twice, and the goblins lowered their rods, acting as if they hadn't seen Kyle at all.
The second door was made of silver, engraved with a warning that thieves would be cursed, a clear threat to anyone with ill intentions.
However, there were no guards beyond this point.
Numerous goblins bustled about in the hall behind the silver doors.
Kyle couldn't tell what they were doing, but they seemed rather busy.
At the long counter, a goblin with a long, fresh scar on his face—making him look even uglier—was carefully examining a gem in his hand. He only looked up when Kyle approached.
"How may I assist you?" the goblin asked, his eyes narrowing at Kyle.
"I'm here to withdraw some money," Kyle said, holding out the golden key.
Hearing this, the goblin's already scarce enthusiasm vanished.
He took the key, inspected it, and then returned it. "Very well, I'll have someone take you to your vault."
He glanced back, "Ring..."
"Mr. Bogrod," another goblin volunteered, "Ring isn't here. I'll take this customer to the vault."
"Very well, go ahead," Mr. Bogrod nodded, not giving it much thought.
"Certainly." The younger goblin stepped out from behind the counter. "Should I call for Clank, given the current situation?"
"It's just an ordinary vault..." Mr. Bogrod hesitated, then nodded, "Fine, both of you go together, and be quick about it."
"Yes, sir." The younger goblin rang a small bell and then turned to Kyle with a smile. "Please follow me, sir."
Kyle looked at him, and after a moment, his eyebrows raised slightly.
"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Goblin."
"It's my job."
The two of them walked down a rough stone corridor, the sunlight left behind, with only a string of torches providing illumination.
Another goblin was already waiting there. Seeing the younger goblin, he whistled, and a small cart rolled out of the darkness along the tracks.
Just as Kyle stepped onto the cart, he noticed a goblin standing expressionlessly at the very front.
"Apologies, sir," said the younger goblin, "Clank isn't good with conversation. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Kyle said casually, not paying it any mind as he boarded the cart.
"Just don't delay my withdrawal."
"Absolutely not!"
Vault 166 was a standard vault, and in less than ten minutes, the cart came to a stop.
Clank remained standing at the front, motionless, while the younger goblin took the initiative to take the key and open the door.
Perhaps due to the dim light, he tried twice before finally opening the vault door.
A stream of golden light spilled out from the opened door.
The sight of over six thousand Galleons was truly breathtaking, a veritable mountain of gold nearly as tall as Kyle, filling the small vault with an intoxicating fragrance.
"I do love this," Kyle murmured as he caressed the coins.
"Indeed." The young goblin nodded in agreement. "They say gold is dirty, but no one can do without it."
"No, you're wrong. I've never said gold is dirty." Kyle took out a bag he had prepared and filled it with the Galleons, making sure to check every corner and crevice of the vault to ensure nothing was left behind.
Only when he was certain that everything was accounted for did he leave the vault and board the cart once more.
The young goblin followed, and Clank started the cart again.
The cart headed deeper into the vaults.
"Mr. Goblin," Kyle looked around, "Forgive me for being blunt, but this doesn't seem to be the way back to Gringotts."
"Yes," the young goblin readily admitted, "We have another task to complete that's rather urgent. We might be delaying you a bit, but I hope you don't mind."
"Ah, it's fine." Kyle took out a golden Galleon and rubbed it between his fingers, "I'm in no rush."
The cart raced along the tracks through a maze of corridors, picking up speed. The clattering of the cart and the howling wind combined to create a cacophonous din.
The torches on the walls grew fewer, and the air began to fill with an unpleasant odor.
After the cart whipped around a sharp turn, Kyle heard a third sound—the thunderous rush of water.
Not far ahead, a waterfall crashed down onto the tracks.
"Mr. Goblin, are you sure you want to continue?" Kyle suddenly spoke up. "I should remind you that the Thief's Downfall will wash away all magic."
"Of course, I'm aware of that," the young goblin replied, turning back. Then, he brandished a wand.
Goblins were not allowed to possess wands; it was a hard line drawn by the Ministry of Magic. No wizard wanted to see the rebellious goblins armed with wands again, but Kyle didn't seem surprised, as if he had known all along.
The Thief's Downfall seemed to be blocked by something, and the cart smoothly passed underneath it.
"What a nuisance." The young goblin muttered, holding his wand, "But I still need it to open the door."
He had no intention of putting away his wand since Kyle also had his wand at the ready.
"I'm curious," Kyle suddenly spoke up.
"Curious about what? That goblins can have wands?"
"No." Kyle shook his head. "Goblins definitely can't, but you can. I'm curious about what happened at Gringotts previously. The newspaper only mentioned it briefly without any details."
"That's right... Bellatrix's vault contains something His Darkness needs, but after she was killed, the vault key went missing. We had no choice but to take some forceful measures." The young goblin paused, deep in thought.
"What about Rodolphus?" Kyle asked. "Can't he just step in for her?"
The goblin, Oren, shook his head. "He's not Bellatrix, and even though they're a married couple in name, he'd still need to provide proof. It's back to square one—Lady Bellatrix was too loyal to His Darkness. She executed his order to hide something so well that even Rodolphus doesn't know where the key is."
"So without the key, the goblins won't let them into the vault?"
"That's right. It's the rule."
"What a hassle."
"There's no other way. That vault is too valuable. The goblins would rather it stayed in Gringotts forever."
"The goblins..." Kyle eyed him, clicking his tongue. "Not even trying to hide it anymore, huh, Professor Oren?"
"Oh, damn." The young goblin's response was casual as he waved his wand, instantly transforming into someone else.
"Now this feels more comfortable." The Death Eater, Oren, straightened his clothes and eyed Kyle with interest. "When did you figure it out?"
"The first time we met." Kyle stated, "I have some insight into transformation spells, and your gaze wasn't one a goblin should have."
"I was planning to just tag along with someone, but I never expected it would be you." Oren said, "It really took me by surprise."
"I never expected a rising Death Eater to be disguising himself as a goblin in Gringotts." Kyle said, "So, you and your hundred-plus Death Eaters still couldn't take Gringotts?"
"It wasn't that many, less than twenty, actually." Oren waved his hand dismissively, "The Thief's Downfall washed away the Imperius Curse they cast on the goblins, ruining their plans. So, here I am."
"I see." Kyle shrugged, "But I dare say you won't succeed either."
"Then I'm in trouble. His Darkness doesn't tolerate useless subordinates." Oren sighed, "From your tone, are you planning to stop me?"
"Of course, do I even need to say it?" Kyle casually flicked a gold coin out of his bag, sending it flying to the cliff wall outside the cart, then grabbed a handful and threw them out as well.
"And you must have realized the answer to that yourself when you took the initiative to bring me along to the vault.
"To be honest, if you hadn't called out to me, I might not have recognized you, but you did, and you even took the initiative to include me.
"It wouldn't be right for me to just ignore that."
"What bad luck." Oren sighed again, "I was hoping to catch up with you."
"There's no need for us to catch up." Kyle grabbed another handful of coins and tossed them out.
Oren watched Kyle's actions, baffled by what he was doing.
"What are you doing?" he finally asked.
"Setting the stage." Kyle explained, ensuring the coins landed in visible spots, "Even if I have to stop you, I can't just let Gringotts off the hook."
"Alright." Oren still didn't quite understand, but he chose to respect Kyle's actions, "We're almost there. Should I make my move now?"
"No, wait a bit longer." Kyle stopped throwing coins and eyed the deep tunnel ahead, "Since we're here, it's a rare opportunity. I might as well take care of something along the way."
At that moment, the cart turned a corner and entered a massive underground space.
The passage opened up before them.
A huge fire dragon was chained to the ground ahead, guarding the four or five deepest vaults.
However, unlike other fire dragons Kyle had seen, this one was in poor condition. Its scales were pale and loose, as if they could fall off at any moment.
This was the result of being confined in a cold, damp environment for too long. Fire dragons preferred hot and dry conditions, and being confined in these deep underground tunnels was a form of torture for them.
Its legs were bound by thick iron chains, and the surrounding scales had been rubbed away by the shackles, leaving bloody wounds.
"Alright, you go do your thing."
Kyle hopped off the cart, "By the way, when the Thief's Downfall was cut off, the goblins should've noticed something was wrong. We'd better hurry."
"Yeah, you're right." Oren also got off the cart, carrying the goblin named Clank, who remained dazed and hadn't moved at all during this exchange.
The two of them parted ways amicably, neither standing in the other's way.
Kyle approached the fire dragon, an Ironbelly from Ukraine.
Sensing someone approaching, the dragon turned its ugly head and breathed a stream of fire at Kyle.
A stone wall rose up, blocking the flames.
"Need some help?" Oren called out from a distance, tossing over a uniquely shaped iron piece, "I heard this will calm it down."
"No thanks!" Kyle replied.
He waved his wand again, and the stone wall transformed into two massive stone arms that grabbed the dragon's neck and forcefully pinned it to the ground.
"Boom!"
The ground shook with a loud rumble, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.
The dragon roared in fury and struggled, spewing flames indiscriminately.
"Relax, little guy, just relax." Kyle soothed the dragon as he flicked his wand upward. With a 'ding', the chains binding the dragon were sliced in two.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
