Beyond the door lay a narrow stone passage, lit only by torches burning along both walls, making it quite dim. The passage sloped steeply downward, stretching into a pitch-black end that could not be seen. At their feet ran tiny railway tracks.
Even Li Mu, though prepared for it, was stunned for a moment.
After all, books and films only left him with a general recollection of the plot. Li Mu had only vague impressions of many scenes, and actually being there felt completely different. It was like the difference between playing a game through a screen and playing it in virtual reality.
The goblin did not care about the two youngsters' astonishment. He briefly introduced himself. "My name is Griphook. It is an honor to serve you." As he spoke, he let out a strange whistle, and a cart resembling a mine cart came rolling along the tracks before stopping in front of them.
Hagrid was clearly familiar with the process and called for the two of them to get in. They had barely climbed aboard and found their footing when the cart shot off, hurtling through winding tunnels.
The next moment, Li Mu felt as though he was about to faint. Cold wind whipped against his face, while everything before his eyes blurred into chaos. Enormous stalactites had appeared overhead at some point, and stalagmites occasionally jutted up from the ground, all racing rapidly backward.
Li Mu took a deep breath. He was not merely dizzy; he also felt nauseated—perhaps it was more accurate to call it motion sickness.
Still, he soon realized he was doing fairly well. Harry had already been blown to the point where he could not open his eyes, while even the apparently experienced Hagrid had gone pale, his legs trembling slightly.
If Gringotts had a rating system, the goblins' driving service would definitely receive a great many one-star reviews.
Screech... At last, the cart stopped beside a small door.
"Harry Potter's vault." Griphook's somewhat shrill voice rang out. He took the key from Hagrid's hand and unlocked the door. Green smoke came billowing out, carrying an unpleasant smell.
Li Mu frowned, wondering whether that green smoke was methane. Would it explode...? Beside him, the giant Hagrid leaned weakly against the wall, his legs still trembling.
Maybe people with giant blood were afraid of heights, darkness, or mine carts? Dumbledore had actually sent this fellow to transfer the Philosopher's Stone—how big did his heart have to be?
He even began seriously considering the feasibility of knocking out the dizzy Hagrid, breaking out of Gringotts, evading the British wizarding world's pursuit, and then fleeing back to Mount Shu in China...
It was probably infinitely close to zero. Setting aside the goblins' magical power, there was a dragon guarding the lowest levels of Gringotts.
The smoke finally dispersed, and in an instant, Li Mu's attention was drawn elsewhere. He experienced the sensation of being dazzled by gold and could not help exclaiming, "Wow!"
Behind that tiny door was an enormous pile of gold coins, a spread of silver coins, and countless bronze coins. He turned to Harry and teased, "Who would've thought? You're a wealthy tycoon!"
"It's all yours!" Hagrid finally stopped trembling and grinned as he patted Harry on the shoulder with loud thumps, making even Li Mu's flesh ache in sympathy.
Harry's face turned green. It was unclear whether it was from motion sickness or Hagrid's pats. He stood there in a daze for a long while, his expression shifting several times, before finally stuffing some money into his pockets with Hagrid's help.
As Hagrid packed the coins, he explained the different denominations to Harry. Only then did Li Mu finally remember that the gold coins were called Galleons, the silver ones Sickles, and the copper ones Knuts. He also figured out that one gold coin equaled seventeen silver coins, and one silver coin equaled twenty-nine bronze coins...
When he had read the books before, he had only paid attention to the main plot and could not remember such details at all. Even now, Li Mu still was not used to the strange names of these currencies, much less their bizarre exchange rates—why not make them decimal? That would be much easier to remember.
After they had packed up the money, they got back into the cart and continued onward. The cart raced through the darkness like the wind. Hagrid's face became awful again, and both Li Mu and Harry worried that he might fall straight out of the mine cart. Fortunately, it did not take long this time. The cart soon stopped again before another door.
"Li Mu's vault." Griphook called in his thin voice, taking the golden key from Li Mu and unlocking the door.
This time, not much smoke drifted out. Almost the instant the door opened, dazzling golden light spilled across everyone's faces, even overpowering the glow of the torches. Harry and Li Mu both froze, staring straight ahead, while Hagrid widened his already enormous eyes and looked Li Mu up and down.
They could not even say "wow."
In truth, there was not that much money in this vault. In total quantity, it might have been slightly less than what Harry had in his vault. It was just that every single coin inside was gold.
Li Mu stood there dumbfounded for quite some time before awkwardly explaining under Harry and Hagrid's strange gazes, "Um, I think... my teacher didn't realize that a small pile of those... Knuts would actually be enough for me to live on..."
At the same time, he silently recited Amitabha and the Three Pure Ones while inwardly grumbling about Li Jianmin, who constantly preached about "carrying forward the spirit of arduous struggle" and "regarding money as dung." He had long guessed that the old man was rich, but he had not expected him to be this rich.
He really had given him a huge pile of dung.
"Who would've thought you were a wealthy tycoon!" Harry recovered somewhat and immediately returned Li Mu's earlier teasing in full.
Li Mu casually grabbed a handful of gold coins and stuffed them into the bag he had brought. He reckoned it was more than enough to last him over a year, then headed with Hagrid and the others toward their next stop—Vault 713. This vault was located beside a mountain ravine. Unlike the earlier vaults, its door had no keyhole.
But Li Mu naturally knew the secret of such special vaults. Only a Gringotts goblin could open the door by pressing a finger against it. Anyone else who tried to enter would be sucked into the door and trapped to death inside. And within that door—though the original novel did not say so, Ye Yunsen felt there should be other defensive measures as well, such as a dragon.
Of course, he had long known what was hidden in Vault 713: the Philosopher's Stone, which could turn stone into gold and extend one's lifespan. If its effects really were as described in the novel, it was indeed quite a fine treasure. He could not understand why Hagrid had brought him and Harry along to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone with so little precaution.
It was not because Hagrid trusted their character. One look at Hagrid's massive frame was enough to tell that this easygoing Hogwarts gamekeeper was not particularly cautious in his work. Perhaps he simply did not believe two little kids had the ability to steal the Philosopher's Stone.
Griphook tapped open the vault door, and Hagrid entered right behind him. Harry craned his neck to peer inside, fully displaying the curiosity of an eleven-year-old child.
Unfortunately, Hagrid came out quickly. Harry disappointedly discovered that the item from Vault 713 was wrapped in thick brown paper, giving away no clue whatsoever. Hagrid had already said it was a secret, so he could not very well ask.
What followed was another unpleasant journey. When the howling wind around their ears finally died down, Li Mu realized in a daze that the three of them had arrived at the entrance of Gringotts.
Brilliant sunlight shone through the drifting dust onto his face, carrying a trace of warmth.
(End of Chapter)
Before you continue