#830 - Cave

After ushering Anduin and Sirius into the reception room, the goblin manager warmly presented them with a tray laden with a variety of drinks.

He then asked with a cheerful smile, "Mr. Wilson, please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything we can assist you with. Gringotts will certainly do everything in its power to serve you."

"I need to retrieve something from a vault," Anduin replied with equal politeness.

"Retrieve something?"

The goblin manager frowned in confusion. Did this important figure really need to come in person to retrieve something?

Others might not know, but the goblin manager was well aware that Silver Gleam Commerce didn't actually store much in their vaults.

The reason Gringotts regarded Silver Gleam Commerce as its largest client, aside from their cooperation on security systems, was mainly due to their international trade.

The monthly turnover through Gringotts alone reached tens of thousands of Galleons, with Silver Gleam Commerce accounting for nearly thirty percent of their business.

So, when the goblin manager heard Anduin say he wanted to retrieve something, he immediately became suspicious.

Could it be?

The goblin manager was startled, and then tentatively asked, "Mr. Wilson, are you planning to retrieve… something that isn't from your own vault?"

"You're very clever," Anduin didn't hide his intentions.

Clever my ass, what else is in your vault besides air?

The goblin manager really wanted to roll his eyes, but he rationally restrained himself and put on a troubled expression.

"Mr. Wilson, you should know Gringotts' regulations. Our existence is to maintain the security of our clients' property. Doing such a thing would be against the rules."

Hearing the goblin manager's tactful refusal, Sirius, who was beside him, revealed an 'I knew it' expression. He knew it wouldn't work. It would be better to sneak in at night.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glare at Anduin, wanting to see how he would handle the situation.

Anduin simply smiled at this sight, "I understand, that's why I informed you in advance. If I can get help from Gringotts, I would naturally be extremely grateful!"

The goblin manager's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He seemed to understand the subtext.

"Is this item very important to you?" The goblin asked tentatively.

"Indeed, very important," Anduin nodded seriously.

"Would you mind telling me in advance whose vault it is?" The goblin manager still asked first.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Anduin said calmly.

"Bellatrix Lestrange? Is that the Lestrange whose entire family was thrown into Azkaban?" The goblin manager's tense expression relaxed considerably upon hearing this name.

"Your information is very good, you even know about someone who disappeared more than ten years ago," Anduin complimented the goblin lightly, as if reminding him of something.

So, it's the Lestrange family that disappeared more than ten years ago?

The goblin manager nodded secretly. Gringotts recorded all client information in great detail. He remembered that the entire family seemed to have been imprisoned back then, with no living relatives outside.

So, from a certain point of view, that vault was equivalent to unclaimed property, but according to Gringotts' regulations, even if they couldn't contact the original owner or their heirs, they had to keep the vault safe for at least 100 years, and even longer for deeper vaults.

After all, in the wizarding world, there were many long-lived old monsters who might disappear from public view for no reason, and then suddenly reappear after decades.

If Gringotts failed to protect the vault by then, it would greatly damage their reputation.

But if the target was the Lestrange family, who had essentially been sentenced to death, it seemed like there was some room for maneuver.

The goblin manager was overjoyed. It would be great if he could take advantage of this opportunity to get a cut from Anduin.

After all, Gringotts had done this kind of thing before. The reason they were able to accumulate so much wealth was actually by making a fortune from 'lost items'.

It's just that they used to be more cautious when choosing targets, only acting after the vault's owner had disappeared for hundreds of years.

As for now, this risk might be worth taking!

Despite having made up his mind, the goblin manager still wore a troubled expression, while quietly moving closer to Anduin.

"Mr. Wilson, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but the risk of doing this is too great. If it comes to light, not only will my position be in jeopardy, but Gringotts may also be implicated."

Hearing the goblin in front of him not directly refuse, but instead complain to him, Anduin understood what the other party was thinking.

"I know this is difficult, so to compensate you, I can offer this much…"

Anduin spread his right hand and made a five, while also smiling and persuading.

"Of course, I know you may not care about money, so I also plan to open a top-level vault in Gringotts in the name of Silver Gleam Commerce, with the performance credited to you, how about that?"

"Five… five thousand?"

The goblin manager's eyes widened in excitement after seeing Anduin's gesture. He even asked specifically to confirm.

Anduin smiled and nodded at this sight. It was best to be able to pay to avoid trouble, rather than risk ruining his reputation by sneaking in to steal.

"Good!"

After hearing Anduin admit it in person, the goblin manager immediately agreed without thinking.

"You can rest here for a while, I'll arrange it for you. Of course… when you go down later, don't say you're going to retrieve something, just say you're going to visit the vault you just bought."

"No problem, once we're in the vault, my gift will be delivered immediately!" To ensure that the goblin did his job honestly, Anduin specifically added.

The goblin manager almost laughed out loud on the spot, and he strode out the door as if he was about to fly.

Sirius, who was next to him, stared at the two in astonishment as they completed such a dirty deal in front of him. He didn't fully react until the goblin left the room.

"Can… can it be like this?" Sirius couldn't help but complain, "Aren't Gringotts goblins always known for their integrity?"

"Who told you that?" Anduin rolled his eyes, "They are clearly known for their greed. As long as the price is high enough, these guys can even sell their souls."

"Of course, if you really want to say that, it's not wrong. Didn't they write it very clearly at the entrance, 'All those who dare to steal from the vaults will be punished'? These goblins' beliefs in the face of thieves are indeed extremely firm."

"This…" Sirius didn't know what to say for a moment.

More than half an hour later, when the two walked out of the Gringotts gate, Anduin had an exquisite and gorgeous golden goblet in his hand.

Sirius still had a bewildered expression on his face. He really didn't expect that Voldemort's Horcrux would be obtained so easily.

"Stop spacing out!" Anduin put away the golden goblet and placed his hand on Sirius' shoulder again, "Next is the next item, but this trip is a bit far, be careful not to throw up."

With that, Anduin activated Apparition. When they reappeared, they had arrived at the foot of a towering and rugged seaside cliff.

Below the cliff, a small and hidden cave could be vaguely seen.

For some reason, even though it was summer, there were gusts of cold wind on the coast, and the temperature in the surrounding dozens of miles had mysteriously dropped by several degrees.

"Here… is where Voldemort stored another Horcrux?" Sirius and Anduin stood on a scorched rock by the sea, pointing to the cave in the distance and asking loudly.

"Yes!" Anduin nodded, "I don't know if you've noticed, but a large number of Banishing Charms and Confundus Charms have been cast here, so you'll have to wait a moment while I undo these spells one by one."

With that, Anduin left Sirius and drew his wand, pointing and gesturing at the air in front of him. After a while, he turned back again.

"Let's go, let's move over there." Then, without even asking for Sirius's opinion, he pulled him towards the cave.

When they got closer, they found that the entrance of the cave was sealed by a layer of faint magical shield. Sirius tried to cast a Disarming Charm, but there was no reaction.

"It seems that the protection here is much more rigorous than expected. Can you be sure how to open it?" Sirius felt the faint pressure emanating from the barrier and turned to look at Anduin.

"Blood magic has been cast here. It needs blood to open, requiring the person entering to pay a weakening price, and only one person can enter at a time," Anduin said calmly, interpreting the runes on the barrier with his perception.

"Then let me do it," Sirius stretched out his left hand very consciously, "Use my blood, and then cover you while you go in, so that you can avoid being weakened."

"No need for such trouble," Anduin shook his head with a smile, "Have you forgotten what I do? We don't need to follow Voldemort's wishes."

After Anduin finished speaking, he took out the Ethereal Armor. After entering the ethereal form, he pressed one hand on the barrier, while constantly allowing his magic to penetrate into it, modifying the rune structure within.

Since mastering the ethereal form, his efficiency in dealing with runes and alchemical creations has increased more than doubled, and has even allowed him to work on-site.

Sirius, who was on the side, saw this strange state like a ghost for the first time. He was stunned for a moment and didn't even know what to say.

After a while, Anduin's body slowly changed from ethereal to solid, and he smiled proudly at Sirius, "Okay, let's go in."

After speaking, Anduin stretched out his wand and pointed at the entrance of the cave. Soon, a passage that could accommodate two people appeared.

"If I'm not mistaken, you just… turned into a ghost?" Sirius couldn't help but ask as he followed Anduin's steps forward.

"Something similar, this is actually a magic I recently discovered that can enhance my magic control," Anduin didn't turn his head, but simply explained. He estimated that Sirius wouldn't understand those complex magical theories.

Sirius did hear it a little confusedly, but he was soon attracted by the scene in front of him.

At this time, in front of them was the shore of a black lake. The lake was incredibly wide, boundless. Black couldn't see the opposite bank in the distance. The cave they were in was very high, and they couldn't see the top of the cave when they looked up.

Far away, like in the center of the lake, a hazy, green light flickered, reflected in the dead lake water below.

Except for that green light and the light from the two wands, everything around was an unadulterated darkness, and the penetrating power of these lights was not as strong as Sirius had expected. The darkness here seemed denser and heavier than usual.

"What is this place? How can there be a lake in a cave, and you can't see anything." Sirius shivered twice from the cold air emanating from the lake water.

"Be careful, it's more dangerous here than imagined." Through his perception, Anduin could sense a strong aura of dark magic emanating from the lake surface and the bottom of the lake, but the thick darkness around him was indeed disturbing.

Thinking of this, Anduin took out a dozen crystal-like objects and threw them into the air.

Soon, these crystals floated in mid-air as if held by some force, while projecting a highly bright but not dazzling white light.

Instantly, the entire lake surface was illuminated by the white light, and the two finally saw the surrounding scenery clearly.

It turned out that there was also a small rocky island in the center of the lake, and a small boat was fixed on the rock wall not far from them.

At the same time, Sirius could see through the lake water that the bottom of the lake was covered with pale corpses. They looked even more terrifying under the strong light.

"It seems that the Horcrux should be in the center of the lake," Sirius withdrew his gaze, swallowed his saliva, and then said to Anduin.

"Yeah," Anduin nodded, "Let's go, let's go see the boat."

Then the two approached the small boat and also discovered that the boat had been enchanted. It seemed that it could only carry one person across the lake.

Faced with this situation, Sirius didn't carry forward his spirit like before, but turned his head to look at Anduin. He knew that the other party might have other solutions.

Sure enough, Anduin didn't even say a word, just calmly turned into an ethereal form, and then gestured at the boat, indicating that Sirius should stand on it.

"Your strange magic is quite convenient," Sirius also understood Anduin's method at this time. He turned himself into a semi-spiritual state, so he wasn't a 'person'.

Sure enough, after the two stood on the boat, the boat did determine that they had not violated the rules, and just directly carried the two closer to the center of the lake.

When the two approached, they discovered that what was located on the rocky island was a stone basin filled with potions, and at the bottom of the stone basin lay quietly an ancient pendant.