The Dragon Out of Control (Happy New Year)

After the group entered Gringotts, two Goblin bowed to them and led them into the tall marble hall.

There were about a hundred Goblin sitting on high stools behind a long counter. Some were weighing coins with copper scales, while others were examining gems with eyepieces, all while hastily recording them in a large ledger.

The hall had countless doors, each leading to a different place, and many Goblin guided visitors through these doors.

The group walked toward an elderly Goblin who was examining a thick gold coin through his glasses.

The Goblin tossed the gold coin aside and greeted William.

Clearly, with William receiving the Order of Merlin, he had gained considerable fame in the United Kingdom.

"I need to set up a private treasury," William said directly.

"Oh, I wonder what price range Mr. Stark is planning to pay?" The Goblin stood up, her tone becoming increasingly enthusiastic.

"Our lowest-priced vault here costs only 200 Galleon, a slightly better one costs 600 Galleon, and the more expensive ones cost 1,000 Galleon, or even 2,000 Galleon..."

He had already thoroughly investigated William's background and knew that the Order of Merlin, Second Class, was only awarded two thousand Galleon.

"Then let's go with the cheapest one," William said nonchalantly.

He only had two thousand Galleon, which wasn't enough to afford such an expensive one; after all, the money had to be spent on the hilt of the knife.

"Okay." The older Goblin was very helpful and showed no impatience even though William opted for the cheapest vault.

He handed over a small gold key and said, "Mr. Stark, please come with me. I'll take you to your vault."

The elder Goblin led them through a doorway, which led to a narrow stone corridor, illuminated by burning torches.

The stone corridor was a steep downhill slope with a small railway running below. The Goblin whistled, and two small carts rushed towards them along the railway.

The group split into two teams and climbed onto the vehicle. They then rushed deeper underground, passing an underground lake, where huge stalactites hung from the cave ceiling and enormous stalagmites grew on the ground.

They sped forward along the maze-like, winding path, the clattering little cart seemingly knowing the way, so the Goblin didn't need to drive it at all.

A chilly blast of air swept past, making it impossible for everyone to open their eyes.

William gripped his wand and poked it three times in a row, and a windbreak appeared in front of them.

The Goblin seemed unaffected by the cold wind, its eyes, as big as light bulbs, fixed on the distance ahead without blinking.

William really wanted to ask: Don't your eyes get dry after not blinking for so long?

The car drove for about twenty minutes before stopping in front of a door. The Goblin aligned the golden key with the keyhole, inserted it, and then slowly pushed it in until the entire key was inside the hole.

The door opens automatically without needing to turn the key.

The group went inside, and the door slammed shut behind them, revealing a small vault.

"What happens to the private vault if no one comes to collect the money for a long time?" Hermione asked curiously.

"That depends on the level of the vault," the Goblin replied.

"We can only keep the cheapest vault for two years before we have to clear it out. If no one renews the lease within two years, all the assets inside will be disposed of by Gringotts."

The so-called cleanup is actually just leaving it to the Goblin to do as they please.

"As the price increases, the vault's lifespan also increases. Of course..." the Goblin chuckled, "There's another type of vault where the key is passed down through generations, and the contents are never cleared away."

"There are vaults like this?"

"That's right, those are very expensive prices, and generally only ancient families can afford them."

William discovered many similarities between Gringotts and Switzerland banks.

Gringotts is not subject to the Ministry of Magic, and even if a wizard commits a crime, the Ministry of Magic has no right to take away private property from Gringotts ' vaults.

Switzerland banks are also renowned worldwide for their strong confidentiality measures.

Because the stored items are protected by privacy laws and are not subject to police inspection, and because only a digital account needs to be opened for storage without registering the depositor's name, criminals or high-ranking officials can rest easy without worrying about the safety of their assets or fearing the sudden discovery of huge amounts of unexplained wealth.

Like the keys to Gringotts Bank, Switzerland bank digital accounts are often passed down as inheritance from generation to generation.

William also plans to build a permanent treasury as an inheritance, but he can only afford the cheapest ones right now.

William didn't think much of it. He put the Galleon into the vault, took only four hundred, and put them in a small bag.

"Let's go," he said.

Everyone was quite disappointed that they didn't see the legendary fire dragon guarding the vault.

The ride in that little car wasn't even as comfortable as a roller coaster at an amusement park. Who would come to this awful place if they didn't want to see a fire dragon?

But just then, William asked, "Did you feel the vibration?"

"It looks like an earthquake," Hermione said.

"That's impossible!" the Goblin shouted.

"Gringotts are buried 20,000 meters underground, protected by numerous magical spells, and have never experienced an earthquake in thousands of years!"

He was indignant, as if William was slandering the prestigious Gringotts brand.

No one spoke. William placed a Galleon on the table, and the Galleon trembled slightly on the table.

Roy and the others were all pale-faced, their previous relaxed mood of wanting to see the fire dragon completely gone!

This place is deep underground. If an earthquake really happens, and someone is buried underneath, wouldn't they be crushed to dust?

"Hurry up!" William shouted.

As everyone hurriedly left the vault, a sound suddenly roared from the depths of the ground, growing clearer and more terrifying as it approached.

"It's the sound of a dragon," the Goblin said.

"Hurry up." The group hurriedly returned to the car, which sped along the tunnel towards the hall, but loose rocks kept falling from the cave ceiling.

Bang!

A huge boulder crashed onto the tracks, completely blocking the road ahead. Because the car was traveling too fast, the Goblin couldn't brake in time, and the car crashed directly into the boulder.

The cart suddenly tilted and overturned, throwing everyone out of the cart.

The cart crashed into the wall of the passageway and shattered into pieces. William gripped his wand and shouted, "Cushioning Charm!"

A blue light enveloped everyone, and they all glided through the air, seemingly weightless, before landing on the stone ground without getting hurt at all.

"What happened?" Lyanna asked in alarm.

"I don't know..." William hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly looked in a certain direction.

That fleeting glimpse of the scene horrified everyone present.

A giant fire dragon crashed its way from the depths of the cave, smashing through stalactite hills several meters long.

The fire dragon crashed into a private vault, instantly shattering the massive supporting stone. The vault itself was utterly destroyed, crushed into dust like a firecracker in a child's hand.

Everyone gasped.

They finally saw the fire dragon... and at close range.

Those two hundred Galleon were well worth it!

(Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and all the best! Please vote for this post!)