Rhine followed Hagrid through the bustling streets of Diagon Alley until they reached a grand, glittering building, gilded from top to bottom.
This was the legendary Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Warnings to would-be thieves were engraved right onto the doors, and Hagrid, puffing out his chest, proclaimed with great conviction:
"Gringotts is the second safest place in the entire wizarding world—only Hogwarts is safer."
Rhine forced a polite smile, the corners of his mouth twitching with a trace of awkwardness.
Hagrid hadn't picked up Harry Potter yet, it seemed. But if he remembered correctly, the very day Harry entered the wizarding world… Gringotts was broken into.
And later, during Harry's seventh year, he, Ron, and Hermione stormed the bank, stole Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, and even unleashed an Ukrainian Ironbelly from the vaults.
So this "second safest place" might not be that safe after all.
Still, Rhine reasoned, it was arguably more secure than Hogwarts—which was broken into nearly every year.
At least Gringotts had only been breached twice in seven years.
With that, Rhine stepped inside, trailing behind Hagrid into the grand marble hall.
"Got a Hogwarts first-year here to exchange money!" Hagrid's booming voice rang out.
Rhine's eyes flickered with thought, and he added quickly:
"Does Gringotts have any cooperative accounts with Muggle banks? If so, you could just withdraw directly from my Muggle accounts."
"London Bank, Santander, HSBC… Any of them will do. I have VIP status with all three."
The goblin behind the counter—who had been half-heartedly working an abacus—abruptly looked up, eyes gleaming. His demeanor turned markedly more attentive.
"Ah, yes, of course. Gringotts maintains discreet partnerships with several Muggle banks."
"My name is Ragrip, sir. May I have your name?"
"Rhine Snow," Rhine replied.
Ragrip turned to the goblin beside him and barked an order.
"Check Mr. Snow's accounts."
A moment later, a magical printer beside them spat out sheet after sheet of parchment.
The two goblins froze for a beat—then looked positively gleeful.
"Mr. Snow, please, this way to the VIP room. It's far too noisy out here."
What they didn't realize was that Rhine's eyes held a matching glint of interest.
Another prompt had appeared on his system interface:
[You encounter two wandering cultivators, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao, playing a game of strategy atop Wuyi Mountain. They invite you to share some tea.]
[Though not powerful, the two of them jointly refine a remarkable magical artifact—the Lost Treasure Coin, capable of dislodging any treasure in the world.]
[Form an acquaintance level bond with Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao to gain the Windborne Sustenance trait. Similar to Sun and Moon Essence, this allows cultivation by drawing energy from wind, rain, and dew. These traits synergize well.]
[Form a close friendship to unlock the Master Strategist talent—both are chess masters of legendary skill.]
[Form a Life and Death Bond to obtain the Lost Treasure Coin Refinement Method. This divine artifact can dislodge even artifacts like the Sea-Calming Beads.]
After several similar episodes, Rhine was beginning to get used to his system's bizarre interpretations.
Why couldn't Gringotts be Wuyi Mountain?
Wuyi was always shrouded in mist. Diagon Alley, after all, was also magically concealed.
And what were goblins doing, if not playing strategy games with their abacuses? Beads and chess pieces—close enough.
Rhine's gaze fell upon the words "Lost Treasure Coin," and he could hardly tear his eyes away.
This was a powerful relic from the Investiture of the Gods.
Back then, Zhao Gongming had run rampant with his Sea-Calming Beads, battering the followers of the Chan Sect into misery.
But when he encountered the Lost Treasure Coin on Wuyi Mountain, he suffered a crushing defeat.
Though he killed Xiao Sheng, the coin forcibly dislodged the Sea-Calming Beads, delivering them into the hands of the strategist Randeng Daoren.
Those twenty-four beads later became the foundation of Randeng's path to enlightenment and were the origin of the Western Buddhist pantheon's Twenty-Four Heavens.
If even the Sea-Calming Beads could be dislodged, imagine the power of the Lost Treasure Coin.
If Rhine could somehow recreate that artifact here in the wizarding world, he wouldn't ask for much—just something to knock loose, say, the Elder Wand.
And while he was at it, maybe a Horcrux or two.
Dumbledore? Voldemort?
Let them come—he'd just disarm them and fight barehanded!
Even just forming a casual acquaintance with the "goblins" (Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao) could net him the Windborne Sustenance trait.
Later, if he got the Sun and Moon Essence trait from his owl, Roberts, the two could form a potent combo—maybe he really could practice ancient cultivation techniques right here in the wizarding world.
As for the Master Strategist trait… maybe it'd be handy for networking?
Wizard's Chess was popular, and Professor McGonagall was supposedly fond of it. Maybe it could be his way to get on her good side.
Lost in thought, Rhine followed Hagrid into the VIP room, where the two goblins began explaining the wizarding monetary system.
"One Galleon equals seventeen Sickles, or four hundred ninety-three Knuts. The exchange rate to British pounds is roughly five to one."
"Do note, however, that the rate fluctuates. Not that you'd try this, sir, but we goblins do study modern finance, unlike most wizards."
"The last Muggle-born who tried using financial trickery to game Gringotts is still paying off his debt."
Ragrip offered Rhine a thin smile.
"Mr. Snow, as a minor attending Hogwarts, the amount of Galleons you can withdraw each term is strictly regulated."
Rhine raised an eyebrow and turned to Hagrid.
"Hagrid, I have another matter to discuss privately with the Gringotts representatives. Would you mind waiting for me?"
Hagrid blinked, hesitating, and lowered his voice to warn him.
"Rhine, goblins are greedy—nothing in this world loves gold more than they do. Don't sign anything without being sure!"
Rhine nodded, and Hagrid reluctantly left the room under the goblins' disapproving stares.
Then Rhine leaned in, his voice dropping.
"Rules always have loopholes—especially rules like this one about minors."
"I'm sure you have ways to help me legally bypass the Galleon withdrawal cap. I'd rather not spend my first year at Hogwarts scraping by."
His eyes gleamed with sly amusement.
"Money laundering exists in the Muggle world. Don't tell me Gringotts doesn't have its own methods."
"In exchange, I'll let you take a twenty percent handling fee."
"Think of it as a gesture of goodwill. A friendly introduction."