"Incredible."
A hoary elderly goblin slowly lowered his spectacles, his face riddled with wrinkles displaying a visible weariness. He gingerly returned the yellowed parchment to the center of the stone table.
It was a semi-circular, quaint stone table with seven noticeably aged elder goblins seated at the curved end.
The one who had just spoken was one of these goblins. It raised its head, exchanged glances with the surrounding goblins, nodded gravely, and arrived at the same conclusion as the other six elders of the Goblin Council of Gringotts.
This was the long-lost or hidden document—the original proof of ownership of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to be precise, the Slitherin family's estate certificate.
"Human girl, I'm not quite following your point."
The central goblin interlocked its long fingers on the table's surface, gazing deeply at the silver-haired girl seated across from it. With a slightly proud and calm demeanor, it continued, "As you can see, this is proof of the Slitherin family's estate. Yet your surname doesn't seem to legally entitle you to inherit or dispose of this astounding treasure."
"Quite right. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, the last surviving heir of Salazar Slytherin, Mr. Moffin Gantt of the ancient pureblood Gantt family, passed away in Azkaban during his sentence."
Elena lifted her head, her sky-blue eyes calmly meeting the elderly goblin's gaze as she replied in a neutral tone.
"Oh? Is that so? That's rather regrettable."
The goblin nodded without expressing regret on its face, snapping its fingers lightly.
A few minutes later, a young goblin entered, whispered a few words to it, and the elderly goblin relaxed its furrowed brow. It looked at Elena with interest. "It seems Mr. Dumbledore has already considered everything. Care to share?"
Undoubtedly, in the brief moment just now, through their unique channels, the goblins had verified Elena's words. However, they attributed it all to Dumbledore's arrangement. After all, from any perspective, a girl under ten couldn't possibly know so many secrets.
Hearing the goblins' words, Elena neither confirmed nor objected. Instead, she appeared adorable, almost as if reciting memorized content, and calmly said, "According to ancient contract rules, in this case, possession of the estate certificate implies the right to dispose of the land as a third party associated with Hogwarts."
"Ah, yes, indeed. We are familiar with this rule."
The goblin nodded approvingly, shrugged, and added, "If it were Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, personally here, there would naturally be no issue. However, for an ordinary student of Hogwarts, it seems there's a slight lack of connection."
"Not the boring paper proofs from the Ministry of Magic, you know..."
The aged goblin squinted, gesturing in the air with its long, slender, wrinkled index finger and thumb, calmly stating, "I mean, some magical matters. Hogwarts isn't a foolish stone house built by Muggles."
(Friendly reminder: If possible, imagine the elderly goblin's words in English; it'll add a certain flair.)
Finally, reaching the last hurdle before gaining everyone's trust and initiating this destined, astonishing game, Elena nervously exhaled and raised her left hand's back to the Goblin Council. Her eyes were cold as she spoke.
"A vow. A Dumbledore-led, unbreakable pledge that binds me to Hogwarts, staked with my life. Is that sufficient? Professor Dumbledore has his reasons for not being here."
Unlike before, this time Elena's hand only glowed with a dazzling trace of the oath. The magical imprints entwined upon it were exceptionally clear. The edge of the parchment on the stone table also shimmered, much like every time Elena invoked the "Sacred Mark," feeling a slight warmth in her chest.
Confronted with the sudden brightness, the goblins instinctively shielded their eyes with their hands. After a brief exchange of glances, they engaged in a low discussion.
The lengthy years made it effortless for them to identify the two intertwining sources of magical constraint and capture the faint connection between the silver-haired girl and Hogwarts.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds...
Perhaps a minute, five minutes...
In Elena's consciousness, it felt like an eternity before the goblins behind the stone table finally ceased their discussion.
"Human girl, I mean, esteemed Ms. Elena Kaslana."
The central, eldest goblin cleared its throat, speaking respectfully, "Gringotts is more than willing to assist you. Now, regarding the mortgage for Hogwarts, we need to discuss specifics. Firstly, the type of loan currency..."
As the goblins spoke, they all donned glasses, prepared pen and paper, and began drafting and recording detailed content.
Success!
Seeing the reaction of the Gringotts goblins, Elena's tightly wound nerves relaxed suddenly. She couldn't help but slightly squeeze the sleeping owl nestled in her reserves, eliciting a faint hoot.
"Hoot!"
"Hmm?"
The elderly goblin, busy drafting basic terms, lifted its head in confusion, its sharp gaze passing through its spectacles to the girl before it.
Hoot, hoot, hoot~
At that moment, a series of strange hoots rang out. This time, almost all the goblins stopped what they were doing, curiously looking towards the source of the sound.
"Sorry, I was in a rush and didn't get a chance to have dinner... Can I?"
Elena, holding her reserves, pressed her stomach, blushing shyly as she spoke softly.
After all, she had been on the move the entire day and had only eaten one and a quarter ice cream cones. (Just mentioning it makes her itch!)
Since entering Gringotts, she had been on edge. Now that she relaxed, the terrifying hunger threatening to melt her stomach lining finally made its presence felt.
"Oh, sorry for being so rude. Please, go ahead."
The gentlemanly goblin on the right elegantly shook his head, raising his hand to gesture.
In the next moment, a pristine white cloth appeared in front of Elena. The meticulous platter was filled with delicate cookies and cakes, a teapot steaming with hot red tea positioned at her most comfortable spot on the right. In front of her was a menu written in cursive English, rolled at the edges.
"The next request might be a bit presumptuous. But if possible, could you chat while eating? After all..."
The elderly goblin rubbed its hands slightly embarrassedly, tentatively speaking.
"Time is money, my friend. Of course, no problem!"
Without hesitation, Elena nodded, interrupting the goblin's polite words and diving straight into the matter. "Almost every second, I see a lovely Galleon fly away. So what are we waiting for?"
All the pieces were in place. Even if the Soviet Union hadn't collapsed, as a reincarnated individual, Elena feared nothing.
That drooping bear, merely a piece of easy meat amidst the tide of this great era. She had numerous Plan Bs to replace it. From the start, she only needed to leverage this force within the world.
The silver-haired girl forked a piece of mousse cake into her mouth, her eyes squinting happily.
And now, the feast began.
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