Egypt, Cairo, Gringotts.
The marble-carved hall was resplendent, busy crowds constantly coming and going, the metallic tapping sounds from calculators occasionally echoing behind the tall counters on either side of the hall. Goblins dressed in dark suits sat behind the counters, reluctantly pulling out Golden Galleons from their own "pockets" to hand over to the human Wizards.
"Gro-Groo..."
The slightly sharp voice was very low, almost inaudible unless one listened carefully. The goblin sitting in the high-backed chair pushed up his glasses and raised his head, somewhat puzzled.
Then, he saw the man in front of him wearing a long beige trench coat, pointing downward.
"?"
With some effort, the goblin stood on the shelf, poking his head to look below the counter, "Groo?"
Goblin Groo looked somewhat surprised at the goblin standing in front of the counter, who appeared somewhat listless. He instinctively gave a wary look at the man behind Groo but quickly hid his gaze and returned to looking at Groo, "What's wrong with you?"
"We want to go to the underground vault."
Groo nodded but did not answer Groo's question and instead straightforwardly stated his request.
"...All right."
Groo was silent for a moment and did not say anything further, nor did he plan to ask more. He directly opened the drawer beside him, bent down as if feeling for something, but before he could proceed to his next move, a sudden suffocating sensation made him instinctively halt.
No, it's not instinctual at all; it's a force compelling him to stop.
"Hoo..."
Goblin Groo's throat emitted a sound of unease, but before he could consider how to resist, an invisible force suddenly struck the left side of his face, then spun his head three full circles in place.
"Gro—"
Watching the goblin who collapsed on the table, Groo's exclamation was swallowed back into his stomach, blood trickling down his mouth. He instinctively turned to look at William, but all he got was a cold glance.
"I told you, don't think of tripping me up."
William sighed, gradually walked behind the counter, reached out and pulled from the goblin Groo's hand in the drawer, and grabbed...a revolver?
Aren't we in the Magic Realm?
Looking at the incredibly compact silver revolver in his hand, William was momentarily stunned—he had only seen that this goblin wanted to ambush him, but the means of this ambush were something he hadn't expected...I didn't expect these goblins to be quite up-to-date?
Although his mind was somewhat scattered, William's hands moved quickly. He pulled out a sign from the back of the drawer with "Closed for Business" written on it and placed it in front of Groo's lifeless head—this should buy quite some time.
Then, he continued to search through the drawer and finally found a key marked "Underground Vault Door."
"Let's go."
Looking at the goblin Groo, whose face was full of venomous resentment, William lightly flicked the hammer of the revolver with a "click"—the crisp sound seemed to strike at the goblin's heart. He instinctively turned around and led William towards the entrance of the underground vault.
Passing through a firmly sealed door, there was a narrow, cramped stone corridor, a slightly loose downward-sloping dirt path, while at the end of the stone corridor, a short goblin with an unhappy face scrutinized William and Groo's faces for a moment without comment. He gestured slightly, and a somewhat rickety mine cart "klonked klonked" across the track, stopping slowly in front of William.
"To Vault 3631."
Noticing the goblin's inquiring gaze, Groo finally squeezed out a sentence from his mouth, but his unreservedly abnormal state didn't prompt this goblin to take any unusual actions, as he was merely an outer security plus receptionist.
How much money does he make a month? Is it worth risking his life to mind others' business?
Under the goblin's silent observation, Gro and William sat together in this rudimentary version of a roller coaster. In the next moment, once the target was entered, the old mine cart shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, the whistling wind slashing like knives across William's face, stinging painfully.
Vault 3631—with just hearing this number, one could tell this vault was likely located quite deep. This rapid ride lasted a full five minutes, and finally, amidst Groo's gagging, the mine cart slowly halted at the edge of a platform.
"...We're here."
Groo wiped his mouth. He instinctively turned to look at William and, finding the other seemingly unaffected, blinked somewhat bewildered but quickly, when he saw the waterfall set in front of the vault, Groo's previously sullen expression slightly brightened.
"Thief-Preventing Waterfall."
Looking at the waterfall hanging down from the cave top, William conveniently discerned its essence—the Thief-Preventing Waterfall. As the name implies, it is used to prevent thieves. It can cleanse effects like Polyjuice Potion, Confundus Charm, and Disillusionment Charm on anyone passing through it to spot thieves.
It can even send out an alarm when these conditions are detected, drawing all of Gringotts' guards—at the very least, that's how it was at the Gringotts in Diagon Alley.
But looking at this substantially smaller Thief-Preventing Waterfall than the one in Diagon Alley, William could roughly guess that the waterfall was specifically set up for the vault it guarded, Number 3631. However, William was somewhat unsure about what effect it would trigger.
No, why should he trigger this thing?
Automatically putting himself in the "thief" perspective, William couldn't help but shake his head. Seeing such security measures and thinking how to break them...truly a former occupational habit.
Thinking this way, William walked past the waterfall, and as he expected, since he had no magical interference on him or potions, there was no reaction when he crossed the waterfall. The next step was to open the vault.
"Roar—"
"...?"
Listening to that roar, William instinctively turned to look, only to see Groo's face as if rubber mud, transforming back to its original form...Hang on, when did he drink that bottle of Polyjuice Potion? Watching the potion bottle in the goblin's hand, William sighed and rubbed his temples.
Now it seems the roar perhaps belonged to the guard here?
Just as William pondered this, a vast shadow suddenly emerged from below the cave, revealing a massive human head with a golden crown passing through the waterfall, its golden lion paws gripping the rock, fixing itself against the cliff.
Sphinx.
Yes, a reasonable guardian beast, considering this is Egypt, the birthplace of the Sphinx.
"Human, answer me, what is something..."
"Ask me an egg."
Seeing the Sphinx slowly speaking as it stared at him, William directly opened his suitcase, and with a ringing dragon roar, a jet-black Fire Dragon smoothly slithered out of the suitcase, its massive frame nearly filling the cave tightly.
"Roar—"
"All right, human...I won't ask anymore."
Under Norbert's gaze, the Sphinx didn't hesitate and decisively retreated, disappearing down the cliff.
"?"
Watching the Fire Dragon turn its attention to him, Goblin Groo, stunned by the scene in front of him, sat on the ground, his eyes slowly filling with a string of question marks.
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