Chapter 476 Gold Cup

Chapter 476 Gold Cup
August 8, The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, London.

After settling Fleur, Xie Lin came to London alone. Fleur naturally wanted to come with him, but she had just taken over the operation and management of Miracle Alchemy Workshop and needed a lot of time to familiarize herself with the working environment and process, so she could only stay in Hogsmeade Village temporarily and devote herself to the management of the shop. Xie Lin took advantage of this time to complete an important transaction he had been planning for a long time.

It was already night, but the wizarding world of London was still brightly lit, and the Leaky Cauldron was crowded with people, filled with the smell of alcohol and tobacco. When Sherin stepped into this shabby pub, he was no longer the same person he once was.

He stood at the door, lowered his head slightly, shrugged his shoulders, and casually shook off the dust on his cloak, like an unkempt wandering wizard. He had lost the noble air that originally belonged to Shaylin Malfoy, and was now Carter Young - a decadent, downtrodden, and experienced man. His face was slightly haggard, his eyes were tired, and there was a faint bitter smile on the corner of his mouth, as if all hope had been crushed by life, and only a trace of calmness and sharpness was hidden in the depths of his shadowy pupils.

He walked over to the bar, pulled out a few scattered silver Sickles and banged them on the counter, the sound was crisp and clear.

"Give me the cheapest drink." His voice was low and hoarse, like an old drunkard whose will had been crushed by life.

The boss Tom glanced at him and poured a glass of cheap beer. The foam rolled for a moment and then quickly dissipated. Carter Young (Shelling) picked up the glass and took a sip without showing any disgust, as if he had long been accustomed to the bitter taste of this cheap drink. He did not stay for long, but held the glass and slowly walked to the most hidden corner deep in the bar, and sat down silently, hidden outside the swaying candlelight.

Soon after, a figure approached silently.

It was a short but agile goblin, wearing a heavy cloak with a hood that covered his head deeply, revealing only his sharp chin. His chin was full of wrinkles from the years, and his skin had the tough luster that was unique to goblins. His fingers that occasionally showed were thin and flexible, slightly curled up, as if ready to respond to any emergency at any time.

Slack.

The leader of the goblin subversion group "Green Goblin", the wanted criminal of the Ministry of Magic, was now sitting opposite Sherin. He did not speak immediately, but glanced around vigilantly to make sure that no one noticed their conversation, and then whispered: "I brought the things."

Slark narrowed his eyes and examined Xie Ling for a moment before he slowly reached out and took out an inconspicuous black leather bag from his arms and gently placed it on the table. The bag didn't look big, but it exuded a frightening magical fluctuation.

Schelling took it and opened it. A simple and exquisite golden cup was quietly lying inside. The cup was engraved with the Hufflepuff emblem and the edges were inlaid with tiny gems. Every inch of it exuded an ancient and noble atmosphere. However, Schelling's eyes instantly penetrated its appearance and felt the dark magic entrenched inside the cup - Voldemort's soul fragments were attached to it, emitting a faint but cold breath.

Xie Lin closed the bag and nodded with satisfaction. "Happy transaction. To be honest, it must have taken you a lot of effort to get it, right?"

Slark sneered, his voice a little gloomy: "It's much harder than you think after all the effort and hard work." He gently pushed the leather bag and continued, "It's not easy for you to get this golden cup. You know the security of Gringotts... But I promised you that I would do it."

Sherin looked at Slack with interest, waiting for him to continue.

Slark snorted coldly and whispered, "In order not to arouse anyone's suspicion, I had to get through some connections in Gringotts, use all the connections I have accumulated, and even pay some... price. In the end, I managed to make it 'flow' from Lestrange's vault, but you know, Bellatrix is ​​a crazy woman. Once she notices anything unusual, she will get to the bottom of it at all costs."

"So what did you do?" Xie Ling smiled slightly, with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Slark smiled smugly and lowered his voice to say, "I asked the people at Gringotts to make a nearly real fake and put it back in the vault. The magical aura, material, and even the remnants of dark magic are exactly the same. Even if Bellatrix went to check it herself, she might not be able to notice that it had been replaced."

Xie Ling tapped the table lightly and smiled meaningfully: "It seems that you really lived up to my expectations."

"Of course." Slark said proudly, but soon lowered his voice and added, "However, this matter is risky after all. If something goes wrong inside Gringotts one day, or if that crazy woman gets crazy and starts to check her vault carefully... you'd better use this thing as soon as possible."

Xie Lin gave a strange smile and said, "Don't worry, it will come in handy soon."

However, he did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he picked up the wine glass on the table and said slowly: "There is one more thing. I have always been interested in the secret weapon you relied on during the goblin rebellion in the eighteenth century."

Slark's expression froze for a moment, then he laughed, revealing his sharp teeth: "That is past history. Why is Master Malfoy suddenly interested in it?"

Xie Ling gently swirled the wine in his glass and said with a half-smile, "If that weapon was really powerful enough, your rebellion would not have failed, right?"

Slark's smile froze slightly, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he still maintained a calm tone: "If Master Malfoy just wants to mock the goblins of the past, then our transaction this time can end here."

Xie Lin smiled slightly, and finally took out something from his bosom - an ancient and sharp arrow. It was a magic-breaking arrow, the arrowhead had a deep metallic color, engraved with ancient fairy runes, and the arrow body was made of a special metal and magic wood, emitting a slightly cold luster. When it appeared in the air, even the flow of magic power around it stagnated, as if the air itself felt the amazing destructive power of this arrow.

Slark's pupils shrank slightly, and his breathing became a little faster. His eyes were fixed on the arrow, and he spoke after a long while: "...Where did you get it from?"

Xie Lin gently spun the arrow and said calmly, "This is not important. What is important is that I know the secret weapon you mastered back then, which is this magic-breaking arrow."

Slark was silent for a moment, then he sighed softly: "It seems that Master Malfoy knows more than I thought."

He raised his head, his eyes became complex and deep: "Yes, we did master a special weapon back then, that is, the magic-breaking arrow forged with the holy fire of the goblins, and it was matched with a special continuous-fire mechanical crossbow. If it could be completed, it would become a weapon of mass destruction that could deter the wizarding world. Unfortunately, we did not succeed in the end. The weapon was only half completed, and ultimately failed."

Xie Ling nodded slowly, indicating that he should continue.

Slark sighed softly, with a trace of unwillingness in his eyes: "You should know that the forging conditions of the Magic Breaking Arrow are extremely strict. It must be forged in the lava caves of the Fairy Kingdom, using the 'Goblin Fire' deep in the earth's core. This kind of flame has an extremely high temperature and cannot be extinguished by ordinary magic. Only the secret magic of the fairies can control it. Moreover, forging each Magic Breaking Arrow requires extremely precious materials and extremely complex craftsmanship. The number of arrows we could make back then was also very limited. If we had not failed to complete that batch of weapons back then, otherwise..."

Slack didn't finish, but Sherin understood what he meant.

Xie Lin chuckled, slowly put the magic-breaking arrow in his hand back into his arms, and then looked at Slark: "So, can you still make this kind of arrow now?"

Slark narrowed his eyes warily: "Why is Master Malfoy so interested in it?"

Xie Lin smiled slightly, his eyes deep and calm: "I want seven."

Slark's expression changed slightly when he heard this: "Seven?!"

You know, the forging conditions of the Magic-Breaking Arrows are extremely harsh, and the production of seven arrows is tantamount to consuming a large amount of precious resources. More importantly, once this weapon falls into the hands of a wizard, its deterrent power will be greatly enhanced.

Slark hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "Master Malfoy, I hope you understand that we goblins are not your weapons manufacturers."

Xie Lin smiled calmly, picked up the wine glass and shook it gently: "Of course, I'm not asking you to pay in vain."

Slark was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No, we will not accept any reward."

Xie Lin raised an eyebrow and waited for his explanation.

Slark's expression was more serious than ever. He looked directly into Sherin's eyes and whispered, "Because we are allies."

His voice was not loud, but it was firm.

"If Master Malfoy needs us, we will do our best to complete this task. But please remember that we goblins are willing to serve you not because of money, but because you provide us with the most important thing - the security of survival."

Xie Lin looked at Slark quietly. After a moment, he smiled and raised his glass: "Very good."

Slack also picked up his glass, and the two of them clinked their glasses together in tacit understanding. The wine swayed, as if it represented the official start of a collaboration that was about to rewrite history.

【“Hufflepuff Gold Cup” obtained! 】

[Obtained through the commission of "Magic Breaking Arrow x 7"! ]