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No one could resist the charm of Diagon Alley, a place bustling with mysterious colors amidst its chaotic charm.
A cobblestone road led deeper into the alley, lined with magic shops on both sides. Many traditional wizards, dressed in robes and pointed hats, walked alongside people in modern clothing, creating a harmonious mix.
Yang Tao's gaze fell upon the building at the very end, Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a towering white structure located in London's Diagon Alley.
"Let's go, we'll go to the bank first to exchange some money."
The two youngsters, having never seen the magical world before, felt their eyes weren't enough to take everything in, following behind Yang Tao and surveying the surrounding buildings.
Harry seemed a bit nervous, reaching out and grabbing Yang Tao's clothes, but his eyes were still scanning everything around him.
"Don't be nervous, Harry, this is where you belong. Also… don't pull on my pants, I'm not wearing a belt."
Hearing Yang Tao's words, Harry quickly let go and said apologetically, "Sorry, I… I'm a bit nervous."
"It's fine, you'll get used to it."
Diagon Alley wasn't very deep, and the number of shops on both sides was only twenty or thirty. Even so, Diagon Alley was already considered the largest wizarding shopping market in the UK, and even all of Europe.
There was no other way; the total wizarding population was simply that size.
It wasn't the start of the school year, so while there were many wizards in Diagon Alley, there weren't many children.
Conan was very curious about the magical world and was also pondering the impact of magic on the entire world.
"Where are we going to exchange money?"
"The bank, of course!"
Conan paused, then asked, "Bank? Does the magical world also have a sound financial system?"
A magical world with a sound financial system and one without are two completely different concepts.
"Well, you can't exactly call it sound… You'll understand when you see it later."
Soon, the three arrived at the entrance of Gringotts Bank.
Gringotts' bronze doors gleamed in the sunlight.
Conan looked at the Gringotts building, which resembled children's building blocks, and its distorted structure made him feel uneasy.
He asked with a conflicted expression, "Is the aesthetic of the wizarding world so distorted?"
"Who knows… I'll definitely help the goblins redecorate it when I have time."
Yang Tao said with a smile. He felt even more uncomfortable looking at the Gringotts architecture than Conan did.
How could a building be crooked??
However, the few of them quickly put the building out of their minds. As they approached the Gringotts entrance, two goblin guards, dressed in scarlet and gold uniforms, stood at the door and bowed slightly to them.
"Welcome to Gringotts Wizarding Bank."
Yang Tao nodded slightly and walked through the door. Conan leaned closer to Yang Tao and whispered, "Those weren't humans, were they?"
"They are goblins. Gringotts is the only bank in the magical world run by goblins. You can deposit money or rent vaults."
Conan's face showed an expression of disbelief.
"Are you saying the wizards' financial system is controlled by goblins?"
Is it that fantastical?
Let alone adults, even a High school student like Conan knew what it meant for finance to be in someone else's hands.
This was extremely difficult for Conan to imagine.
It was like the bank responsible for issuing a country's currency being a foreign bank.
Yang Tao said with a smile, "Who knows? There was a war between humans and goblins before, and the goblins lost. However, human wizards didn't wipe them out; they just stripped them of their right to use wands. Hmm… it's similar to not allowing the use of firearms in the human world."
"However, goblins are a magical race, so even without wands, they can still use some magic."
Stepping through the main door, there was a smaller silver door inside, with some words inscribed on it.
"Enter, stranger, but take heed of what awaits greed, for those who take without earning will face the severest punishment. So if you seek to take from our underground vaults a treasure that was never yours, thief, you have been warned: beware, for you may find not treasure, but retribution."
Yang Tao merely curled his lip in disdain at this.
Passing through the second silver door, they entered a spacious marble hall. About a hundred goblins sat behind long counters, hastily jotting in large ledgers. Some weighed coins on scales, others examined jewels with magnifying glasses.
Yang Tao walked directly towards the reception counter at the far end. Looking at the counter, which was taller than a person, Yang Tao felt as if he had walked into an ancient pawnshop.
Although the nature of these two places was quite similar.
He reached out and tapped on the counter.
A goblin poked its head out, its small eyes scrutinizing Yang Tao, but it said nothing.
"I'd like to exchange some money."
This goblin wasn't the one from the original story, though it was equally pitifully ugly.
Hearing Yang Tao's words, the goblin nodded slightly and said, "What would you like to exchange with?"
"Gold and Pounds."
"There are restrictions on exchanging Pounds; a maximum of one thousand Pounds per person. If it's a Muggle family with an acceptance letter, they can exchange two thousand Pounds. There are no restrictions on gold."
According to the exchange rate, an average of five Pounds could be exchanged for one Galleon. Two thousand Pounds would be 400 Galleons, which was completely enough for a Muggle child to buy some necessities.
Moreover, Hogwarts also provided corresponding subsidies for children from Muggle families.
However, Yang Tao always felt that Gringotts was being overly complicated.
Wouldn't it be the same if I bought gold with Pounds and then exchanged it for Galleons?
"Exchanging with gold is more convenient."
The goblin nodded and then called over a young goblin, who led Yang Tao to another counter, a place specifically for exchanging gold.
Yang Tao didn't waste any time, directly pulling out a gold ingot about the length of his forearm and placing it on the goblin's table.
"Exchange all of it for Galleons!"
…
When Yang Tao left Gringotts, a richly dressed goblin followed behind him, smiling as he escorted them out of Gringotts.
"Mr. Yang, if you have any needs in the future, you are always welcome at Gringotts. Furthermore, Gringotts also offers storage services. If you have any valuable treasures, you can store them with us, and Gringotts guarantees their safety."
Yang Tao nodded slightly and, taking Harry and Conan, turned to leave. After walking a short distance, he instructed Harry, "When it comes to money, you can't trust these goblins."
Harry nodded, half-understanding.
"Let's go, we'll head to Diagon Alley's largest arms dealer first, and then we'll buy two house-elves."
"Huh? Arms dealer? Does the magical world have places like that?"
"Uh, wand shop. For wizards, calling it an arms dealer isn't wrong."
Harry: "…"
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