Chapter 526: Ineffective protective measures

Arriving at the first floor of the shop, Quirrell did not leave directly through the main door, but stood in the fireplace and chose the same method of travel as when he came here - the Floo Network.

Green flames rose up instantly and engulfed him completely. In the blink of an eye, he appeared at the entrance of Diagon Alley.

He tightened his hood, lowered his head like an ordinary pedestrian, and walked hurriedly along the winding cobblestone street towards Gringotts.

Two goblin guards stood on either side of the first gate of Gringotts, watching the visitors who came up the stairs with vigilant expressions. They were the first line of defense of Gringotts, specifically responsible for intercepting intruders with abnormal behavior or mental disorder.

Quirrell strode through the doorway, ignoring the glances of the guarding goblins, and headed straight for the second door.

This door was heavier than the first one, and Gringotts's warning was engraved on the silver door: "Thieves will be punished."

Quirrell slowly raised his head, looking at those ancient and majestic words, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an imperceptible smile.

Haha, Gringotts, here I come again!

There are also two goblin guarding on the left and right sides of the second gate. Unlike the goblins at the first gate, they each hold a thin golden stick in their hands.

This is an alchemical magic item made by fairies themselves, which can detect hidden traces of magic and sense hidden magical objects.

"Wizard, please accept the entry test."

The two goblins had sharp eyes and moved slowly around Quirrell, holding golden rods.

After a moment, they looked at each other and confirmed that there was only an empty Traceless Stretching Bag on Quirrell and nothing else was unusual. Then they nodded slightly and let Quirrell walk into the hall.

Behind the long counter, ten goblins sat on high stools, responsible for serving today's guests.

Quirrell walked straight towards an older goblin, took out a golden key and said in a deep voice.

"I want to enter my vault. Here is the key to the vault. Take me to the vault after checking everything. Also, don't tell me my name!"

The goblin nodded without expressing any objection.

I've seen quite a few wizards like this recently. Most of them are wanted by the Ministry of Magic or have grudges against the Death Eaters.

But it doesn’t matter. These disputes have nothing to do with goblins. As long as it is confirmed that the visitor is indeed a client of Gringotts, he can enjoy the services provided by Gringotts.

The older goblin carefully examined the golden key in his hand. After confirming that the golden key was accurate and indeed belonged to the wizard in front of him, he stood up and smiled slightly.

"Dear guest, Bogrod is happy to serve you. Please follow me and I will take you to your vault."

Under the guidance of Bogrod, Quirrell followed him silently, passing through one side of Gringotts Hall and stepping into a deep stone corridor.

The stone corridor was inlaid with dim magical lights on both sides, casting a weak light and lengthening the shadows of the two people.

At the end of the corridor, a small cart was parked quietly on the rails. The cart looked a little old. Bogrod jumped onto the cart skillfully and motioned for Quirrell to sit down.

"The vehicle is starting, please sit tight and hold on!"

Following the goblin's reminder, the cart shook violently, then rushed out like a runaway warthog, speeding down along the complex and winding railway tracks.

The cart sometimes drops suddenly and sometimes turns sharply, shuttling through the underground world covered with stalactites. The wheels create sparks on the track. The whole process is like a thrilling underground roller coaster.

Suddenly, a thick layer of mist rose from the track ahead and filled the center of the passage like a dark wall of fog.

The cart didn't slow down at all and rushed straight in.

Feeling the coolness on his face, a hint of hidden mockery flashed across Quirrell's face.

Oh, the mist from the Anti-Thief Waterfall.

In the past, goblins would only activate the entire anti-thief waterfall when they suspected someone had broken into Gringotts under someone else's name, in order to wash away all hidden magical effects. Even if someone had taken Polyjuice Potion, they would be restored to their original state in the water mist.

But now, the goblins have apparently stepped up their security measures, no longer waiting until suspicion is raised before activating them, but tacitly assuming that all visitors must undergo this final check to ensure that any magical disguise is exposed.

There has been some progress, as the waterfall has been turned into water mist, which ensures the effectiveness of the inspection while not getting the customers wet and causing too much trouble.

Unfortunately, these extra precautions were of no use to Quirrell.

His disguise was based entirely on Muggle methods and had nothing to do with magic, so these detection measures against magic were completely ineffective.

After rushing out of the range of the water mist, seeing that there was no change on Qi Luo's body, Bogrod's body completely relaxed.

Before this, it had been leading the other party in circles, with the purpose of passing this final test.

Now that the test is correct, we can go directly to the target vault.

Bogrod smiled at Quirrell, and just as he was about to shake the joystick to adjust the route, he saw Quirrell pointing his wand at him.

"The soul is out of body!"

For a moment, Bogrod's expression turned respectful.

"Goblin!" Quirrell shouted. "I've changed my mind. Take me to Bellatrix Lestrange's vault next."

"Yes, sir!" Bogrod did not question at all and professionally steered the cart downwards.

After about ten minutes, the cart finally stopped slowly in front of an underground platform.

The air was damp and cold all around. The magic lamps on the stone walls flickered with a faint light, illuminating four or five vaults deep in the platform.

However, to get there, one must first pass through a dangerous checkpoint - a giant dragon guarding it.

It was a Ukrainian ironbelly that had been imprisoned in this underground world by the goblins for a long time. The years of imprisonment had left cruel marks on it, and the scales that should have been smooth and solid had now become pale and loose, like weathered rock layers.

Its hind legs were shackled with heavy chains connected to huge stakes driven deep into the stone to ensure that the dragon's range of movement was confined to this platform.

Its eyes were cloudy and after sensing someone coming, it turned its head and roared.

Seeing this, Quirrell calmly took out the traceless stretch bag that Sebastian had just handed him, then twisted it counterclockwise three times and wrapped it with a decorative button.

Opening the Seamless Stretching Bag again, the Seamless Stretching Bag, which was originally empty when the fairy inspected it, was now filled with useful tools.

Haha, stupid goblin, you don’t know how to keep up with the times and are still using the testing stick handed down from the last century.

Little did you know that Swan Alchemy has already developed a more advanced traceless stretching package for your testing tools.

Quirrell smiled and took out the alchemical tool Ding Dang Piece that he had prepared long ago, and handed it to Bogrod.

“Come on, goblin, take me to Bellatrix’s warehouse!