#5 - Gringotts
Munn had never imagined that one day he would see so many people with bars floating over their heads.
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.......
Three bars, four bars, three bars, blank, three bars...
Munn had always thought that these different colored bars represented the strength of a wizard.
Before, in Xilin, he had only seen one child and the admissions officer of the Allied Military Academy with them above their heads.
At that time, the child had a blank bar above his head, while the admissions person had two bars.
However, single examples don't prove anything, just like the hazelnut forest he guarded. You can't say the harvest is bad this year just because one or two trees have few nuts.
Now he has seen many wizards, and the longest bar still belongs to Professor McGonagall, a full five bars.
However, after seeing so many wizards, Munn was even more confused.
The wizard who looked very old just now had the same blank bar above his head as him.
"Could it be that a wizard's strength has nothing to do with age?"
Regardless of the strength of these wizards, Munn felt very comfortable staying on this street called Diagon Alley.
The overall environment here is similar to his hometown, with dilapidated bars, old brick walls, cobblestone streets, and old shop decorations.
This ancient feeling is the face of Xilin.
As soon as Munn came out of the passage, he saw a shop selling all kinds of strange kitchen utensils.
Curiously, he looked at the sign: Potage's Cauldron Shop.
Munn now understands the meaning of all the words on the shopping list. He knows that this kind of cauldron is also one of the must-buy items for enrollment.
Looking at the stacks of cauldrons of various colors displayed in the window and the price of the pure gold cauldron next to it, Munn touched the money bag hidden in his chest and hurried towards Gringotts.
There were gradually more people in Diagon Alley, and Munn found that most of these wizards' clothes were dark, and everyone was wearing robes.
......
"A pair of bat wings actually costs 5 Galleons, they should just rob someone..."
"Hurry up and go to Gringotts to get the money out, it's not safe there..."
"The reporter from 'The Daily Prophet' went again, they don't believe that nothing was lost in Gringotts..."
Listening to the conversations of the people coming and going, Munn felt more and more magical. This place and London, just beyond the wall, were simply two different worlds.
Following the two wizards who were talking about going to Gringotts, Munn quickly arrived in front of a snow-white building.
Looking at the sign "Gringotts Wizarding Bank" on the door, Munn knew that this was the place where he could exchange for wizarding currency.
However, Gringotts was particularly lively today, and many people were surrounding a short figure in a black dress...
Munn was stunned. The one surrounded in the middle didn't seem to be a human.
Just as Munn was curious, a small... strange person in a scarlet and gold-trimmed uniform walked over.
"Welcome to Gringotts Wizarding Bank, sir, what kind of business do you want to conduct?"
"I... want to exchange for Galleons."
"Okay, please follow me."
Gringotts was decorated very grandly, much grander than the Xilin Town Hall.
The counters on both sides were filled with these short, strange-looking people, but the business they were doing seemed to be more valuable.
Gems, pearls, gold nuggets...
These things that Munn had never seen in Xilin were carefully weighed by these little dwarves and then put away.
Munn just glanced at them in a hurry and was led to a counter on the very edge.
This position was just facing the chaotic crowd outside.
"Mr. Wright, how can you be sure that nothing was lost in Gringotts? After all, you can't enter the vault."
"I... of course..., we won't enter without the authorization of the vault owner, but the doors of these vaults are intact."
Munn could hear a sharp questioning from a middle-aged woman outside the door, as well as the sound of cameras clicking.
"Sir, sir, do you want to exchange for Galleons?"
"Oh, yes."
Hearing the dwarf behind the counter call him, Munn immediately pulled out two cloth bags from his chest and placed them on the counter.
Looking at the old cloth bags and the sound of coins colliding inside, the dwarf behind the counter's expression turned cold.
Clatter ~
Both bags of coins were poured onto the counter, and the dwarf's face became even more unsightly.
"Sir, we don't accept Muggle copper coins, we only accept pounds."
The dwarf said, picking up a 20-pence coin and looking at Munn.
"Is there such a regulation?"
"Uh... that's what everyone thinks."
"But I don't know, and you didn't specify it, did you?"
It was already close to noon, and Munn didn't have time to return to the bank outside to exchange for pounds, and then return to exchange for Galleons. By that time, the shops here might be closed.
"That has nothing to do with me, we really don't accept copper coins."
Munn and the other party were speaking loudly because if they didn't, they couldn't hear clearly. The reporters outside were too noisy.
As the dwarf spoke, he picked up the coins and put them into the bag. Munn looked at the many people around who were withdrawing money, as well as the chaotic crowd outside, and a bold idea flashed through his mind.
"Gringotts is bullying..."
Just as a loud male voice shouted halfway, a dwarf in a black uniform immediately walked over.
"Sir, sir, don't shout. You can tell me what you need."
Seeing that everyone around was looking over, and the chaotic noise outside had also quieted down, Munn was satisfied and explained the situation to the other party.
......
"Hurry up and exchange it for him. Didn't you see that Wright is having a hard time dealing with it outside? Rita Skeeter is notoriously difficult to deal with. If she comes in again..."
"But we don't have a precedent, sir, do we?"
"Don't worry, after today, the bank will issue a new regulation and no longer accept Muggle copper coins."
Munn didn't know what the two little dwarves were saying, but he finally got his first pot of Galleons as he wished.
"Today's exchange rate for Galleons to pounds is 1.07:5, sir, here are your Galleons."
While the other party waited anxiously, Munn counted the 107 shiny gold coins three times before leaving Gringotts with peace of mind.
"Thank you to the wizard who stole things in Gringotts."
Walking out of the Gringotts gate, Munn muttered.
He knew that this thief, who was likely a dark wizard in other people's mouths, had helped him twice today.
First, he was able to successfully exchange for Galleons.
Second, there were many Aurors lurking on the road now.
Being young but having hundreds of Galleons on him, Munn himself knew it was very dangerous, but fortunately, no one followed him along the way.
After coming out of Gringotts, Munn first came to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions according to the shopping instructions on the parchment.
Madam Malkin was a short, plump witch with a kind smile, wearing a purple dress. Munn felt very kind when he saw her for the first time.
"Oh, I didn't expect there to be a little wizard coming to buy robes today!"
Hearing the other party say this, Munn smiled happily, it seemed that his choice today was very correct.
"Don't look, dear, the school uniforms are all uniform. You can try it on first."
......
"How is it, dear? If you need me to, I can re-cut it according to the size just now. It will be very fast. Presumably, you can get it back when you come back to buy other things."
Madam Malkin asked, with the clothes that Munn had just tried on draped over her wrist.
"Can it be cheaper?"
"Dear, presumably you know the price. It's a total of 22 Galleons and 5 Sickles here. If you need me to, I can round off the change."
"Can it be cheaper? Like 15..."
Before Munn could say it, Madam Malkin shook her head directly.
"Child, you can't bargain like this. It's you who are going to school, not me who is closing down."
"Uh, okay."
Munn reacted. Almost every wizard here wears robes, and it was impossible for Madam Malkin to sell it at half price just because he was the last person to buy a school uniform robe this year.
Looking at Munn's embarrassed expression and the scars on his hands, Madam Malkin shook her head helplessly.
"Of course, dear, if you have difficulties, you can go to the second-hand robe shop next door to have a look."
