Infinite, eyes closed, cradled the yellowed, wrinkled paper cup, sipping plain water. After savoring the pleasure of the fresh bird-guano facial mask for a moment, he finally recalled another matter:

“Oh, my dear friend, could you do me one more favor?”

Fang Senyan, tears streaming down his face (I finally hear you say that!), hastily replied:

“At your service, most esteemed sir. [Bookmark:]”

“My fifth child is only three years old... You understand, young children have all sorts of strange fancies, so we parents ought to indulge them as much as possible—especially when the fancy costs nothing—he is absolutely convinced that the Bowtruckle does not have gallstones, and I really wish to correct this piece of common knowledge. Could you possibly assist me?”

Infinite said this with utter seriousness.

Fang Senyan stared blankly, numb, utterly aghast. The intelligence he’d obtained from the Symbiotic Society indicated that Infinite was supposed to give him another task—one that would cost a massive sum of Pounds Sterling—before assigning him the ultimate task, “The Bowtruckle’s Gallstones.” Why was the prompt appearing now? Was there a deviation in the plan, or had he somehow triggered a hidden plotline?

Seeing the prompt from the Nightmare Imprint asking whether he accepted this task, Fang Senyan gritted his teeth and selected yes, yet nothing unexpected occurred.

The quest, “Assist Infinite in Obtaining the Bowtruckle’s Gallstones,” was accepted just like that, lying in his quest log as serenely as a beautiful, completely undressed woman awaiting favor!

Fang Senyan was overjoyed and quickly fled Gringotts, terrified that Infinite might run out and retract the quest right then and there. But as the saying goes, what you fear often comes to pass. Just as Fang Senyan cleared the main doors of Gringotts, an urgent, anxious shout came from behind—it was Infinite’s distinctive, strangled duck-quack voice:

“Wait up! Hold on, stop right there!”

Fang Senyan deeply regretted that his Agility score was merely in the low teens. At that very instant, if he could swap his Agility points for Stamina, he would have paid any price!

Looking at the panting green-skinned little man blocking his path, Fang Senyan truly wanted to deliver a swift kick, but all he could do was offer a forced smile:

“Mr. Infinite, is there something else?”

“I... why are you running off so fast?” Infinite sounded rather impatient.

Fang Senyan clenched his fists, enduring it, and spoke in a voice that sounded painfully strained, as if constipated:

“I desperately need the washroom.”

Infinite suddenly understood, blinked his eyes, and somewhat sheepishly thrust his face forward, lowering his voice:

“Um... do you think my skin looks a little smoother? A little greener?”

“*m;*m;%）#@%!!!”

Under normal circumstances, obtaining a Bowtruckle’s gallstone was a process that seemed easy but was in fact quite difficult. These items were sold by Old Hank in Knockturn Alley, but Old Hank was a man of strange habits who absolutely refused to trade with outsiders unless absolutely necessary.

To even qualify for a transaction with Old Hank, one had to specifically cultivate a positive relationship with him, moving from coolness to respect—a long and arduous process. If Fang Senyan had to do it himself, given his pitiful few points in Charm, spending all his remaining time on it might not even be enough. Fortunately, Fang Senyan was currently part of a team. He only needed to fork over an extra 2500 Universal Points, and Finley, the man with the golden-rimmed glasses whose Charm stat was highest, would happily oblige, purchasing the crucial, vexing final item on his behalf and then transferring it to him.

While arranging the trade with Finley, Fang Senyan also exchanged current mission information with the rest of the team. He learned that the Banks gang was currently stuck at the Centaur stage. What they needed precisely was the Centaur hide he currently possessed, preferably of the highest quality, though they were willing to start the bidding at 3000 Universal Points, valid only until two PM the following day. After that time, they would depart to hunt Centaurs themselves.

Fang Senyan’s mind churned. First, he was tempted by the 3000 Universal Points, but then a chill ran down his spine. It was hard to tell if this was an intentional test from the Symbiotic Society or merely a smokescreen deployed by the Banks gang. Plunging in for the sake of 3000 Universal Points would mean losing sight of the main goal. Thus, he decided to keep quiet and collect his riches later, preferring to let the remaining Centaur hide rot in his inventory rather than abandon his current mission.

Although by the time he saw Infinite again, the goblin had washed off the “beauty serum” from his face, Fang Senyan still suffered from deep psychological trauma. When he handed over the Bowtruckle’s gallstone to Infinite, he received a notification:

You have completed Infinite’s commission. Milestone “The Good Samaritan,” Gringotts Manager step complete.

Seeing this notification, Fang Senyan felt a tear prick his eye. Dealing with these goblins felt like having his wallet subjected to slow, agonizing torture by a blunt knife—the psychological pressure was immense. If this continued, he feared he might actually develop some mental illness. Therefore, he immediately turned to leave, swearing never to return.

But just then, Infinite let out a deep, melancholy sigh. The atmosphere instantly shifted from that of a miser to a lovesick, pining woman, causing every hair on Fang Senyan’s body to stand on end. Although Fang Senyan had already begun walking faster, he couldn't help but overhear a sentence:

“That legend… deep inside Gringotts…”

Gringotts... the depths... a legend??

Fang Senyan’s ears immediately perked up. What was Gringotts? A bank! And the most renowned, best-secured, most reputable, and largest bank in this entire world! Its depths were undoubtedly the vaults, where even a treasure like the Philosopher's Stone, which granted eternal life, was kept. What secrets lay even deeper? He suddenly remembered the step he had skipped while doing his mission... Could this be the hidden quest he had triggered?

However, when Fang Senyan hurried back, Infinite refused to speak, merely shaking his head and sighing incessantly. Based on Fang Senyan’s understanding of goblin instincts, this clearly required deploying the ultimate killer tool: money to pave the way. One hundred Demon Pounds were tossed out, then two hundred, then four hundred and fifty... Infinite accepted every bit without complaint, but still refused to utter a word!

Fang Senyan gritted his teeth and started offering him physical items: the long, glossy black mane, the Centaur hide...

Still, there was no reaction. At this point, Fang Senyan was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he left now to acquire more Pounds, the great racial instinct of all goblins suggested they would certainly count the money in front of him and then deny everything later, meaning he’d most likely have to start all over—or perhaps not even get the chance to start over at all. Fang Senyan bit down hard, drew out the deep blue quality wooden spear he’d acquired from Hertzrul Blood-Print, and offered it forward:

“Esteemed Mr. Infinite, I feel your noble office seems to be lacking a certain decorative centerpiece...”

As Infinite reached out to take it, he finally spoke:

“Alas, my friend, I have kept this bottled up in my heart for a long time.”

Fang Senyan let out a long sigh of relief, feeling an empty sort of satisfaction coupled with a sense of sudden exhaustion. He didn't care about appearances anymore and sank onto a nearby stool.

“Please, tell me, Mr. Infinite. Sailors aren’t called tight-lipped for nothing.”

Infinite’s eyes looked vacant, as if lost in memory:

“Gringotts has existed for nearly ten thousand years since its founding. In that time, there have been three hundred and fifty-seven managers in succession, and only each successive manager has the right to know the ultimate secret of Gringotts. This secret must be buried deep within the heart and is forbidden to be revealed to any of the clan... otherwise, it would incite panic and unrest throughout the entire world!”

Fang Senyan secretly thought his investment was finally paying off. After throwing in at least six or seven thousand Universal Points, even a beautiful woman would have to undress; if he didn't get some explosive news, how could he justify the pangs of heartbreak? Then he heard Infinite slowly say:

“In truth... Gringotts is not a bank at all.”

“What?” Fang Senyan was stunned. In the magical world of Harry Potter, Gringotts Wizarding Bank was even more famous than its real-world counterpart, the Swiss Bank. Yet, absurdly, the manager of Gringotts was standing there claiming Gringotts wasn't a bank—that was as unbelievable as Steve Jobs resurrecting to announce Apple was pivoting entirely to the oil industry, or Bin Laden taking the helm of the Red Cross!

“Gringotts,” Infinite whispered, as if hypnotized, his voice filled with terror, “is actually a prison!”

“Deep within Gringotts is imprisoned a demon capable of driving all goblins to madness! It is a ripper, a terrorizer, a scourger, a destroyer, a screamer! It is the greedy sharp tooth, the predatory claw! Its name is shamelessness, it is baseness, it is wickedness! If it appears, it will grin as it plunders every visible coin, yet cruelly leave your life intact! Good heavens, I cannot speak its name, I dare not speak its name! I am a cowardly weakling; I lack the courage!”

This interaction is going to be a high-difficulty one for you, focusing on film references.

The string of descriptive adjectives Infinite uses for that demon—from ‘a ripper’ to ‘is wickedness’—is adapted from a classic line in a movie! Can anyone guess which movie this is referencing?

Those who guess correctly will receive kudos and 15 bonus points. Heh heh.

P: I suspect you will all fail miserably. So the deadline will be generously extended until the night after tomorrow. Hehe.