This was a snow-white building, considerably taller than the surrounding shops.
This strange 'thing' was like a reflection in the water, twisted and skewed from side to side. Although buildings don't naturally collapse in the Wizarding World, one could still tell how bizarre the owners' aesthetic was from this.
Its precarious angles leaned toward Tudor and Georgian styles, with some Queen Anne layering mixed in. After blending multiple styles, this unknown architect stood on the shoulders of three wonderful artistic styles to deliver a work that was... utterly nauseating and hideous.
This was Mori Tsukisa's evaluation of the building.
"It's very much like their World, Master." Nagini held an umbrella as she walked on the girl's left. "Precarious, ancient, and clumsy—a clumsy sort of classical beauty formed by brains left unused for years."
"...You're being too harsh, Nagini. Even music critics aren't as devilish as you."
"Just telling the truth, Master."
As long as Nagini's 'truth-telling' wasn't directed at her, Arrietty found it quite interesting.
"It must be hundreds of years old, right?"
"Probably? Who knows?" Arrietty impatiently tugged at Mori Tsukisa's hair, but the latter just pointed at the short creature at the building's entrance and laughed uncontrollably.
"I mean him."
Nagini couldn't help but chuckle.
The old, wrinkled creature was hideously ugly, with a heavy judge-like wig pulling his hairline back sharply. Numerous age spots of various sizes grew within the deep furrows of his skin.
What was most amusing was that this creature, who looked hundreds of years old, was actually wearing a smart, sharp long frock coat, with a small gold-patterned pocket square peeking out of his pocket.
Every now and then, he would affectedly pull out a pocket watch to check the time.
He was indeed ugly beyond a certain young girl's level of tolerance.
"They are goblins."
She turned around.
All she saw was a sea of pale.
The tall, thin man was polite, wearing a high-collared shirt. His extremely light hair almost blended in with his exceptionally pale complexion. His jawline was sharp and distinct, and his brow bone was high.
The man wore a long black trench coat over his clothes, with his slender trouser legs tucked firmly into a pair of matching studded boots.
Most importantly, those eyes.
Heterochromatic eyes, where gentleness and brutality were intertwined.
So, when Mori Tsukisa looked up, she almost thought she had seen some rock star.
"Cool!" She whistled and was then pulled into Nagini's embrace.
"I don't even know who you learned that from."
"Um... from Arrietty."
"You're blaming me for this bad habit again! You liar! Now that Jonathan and Bastet are gone, I'm next, right?!" Arrietty crossed her arms unhappily, only to be glared at by Nagini.
"I already said I didn't teach her!"
Nagini chuckled: "I know. I meant your voice is too loud."
"Arrietty:... The tall man's expression was cold, but when he looked at Mori Tsukisa, it was like winter thawing. His voice was gentle and alluring: 'A... commoner?'"
"'Hello?' Mori Tsukisa replied while walking with Nagini. The pale gentleman with short hair also seemed to be heading to the bank. 'Can't Muggles exchange money here? I asked a few people, and they said it's allowed?'"
"'Of course, of course, those are your rights.' The white-haired gentleman bowed apologetically and quickly caught up with Mori Tsukisa, pulling a glittering gold coin from his pocket and flipping it through his fingers. 'Galleons. You can use them to buy some snacks to take back. I assume someone brought you in for a tour?'"
Mori Tsukisa only knew Dumbledore, so naturally, she mentioned his name.
Hearing this, the white-haired man fell silent for a moment and then laughed softly. "So, you are his... hmm? A distant relative? I don't recall him having any."
The goblin at the bank entrance pushed open the gilded doors. As they stepped into the first floor of the building, a sense of luxury washed over them.
On massive high platforms, identical ugly goblins in identical clothes were busy with their heads down, occasionally making 'thumping' sounds from stamping and the clinking of metal.
Golden scales were placed one by one on the high platforms.
Mori Tsukisa pouted and didn't answer the man's question. Instead, she was quite dissatisfied with this so-called 'bank': "First, I hate scales; second, I hate high places I can't reach..."
These tall service counters were indeed unfriendly to short people—this seemed to be a strategy of the goblins. Unless you had giant blood, you had to look up at the staff while standing before these 'massive' counters.
They seemed to enjoy this, as if it manifested some dark, superior psychological state.
It must be said that all creatures seem to be... like this.
"I'm not going to reach for a counter I can't reach," the girl grumbled. Under the man's amused gaze, she nudged the tall, silent man beside her—
He gave a cold glance around, unslung the bag from his hand, and gently... dropped it onto the marble floor in the center of the hall.
Bang!
Rumble—
The man with heterochromatic eyes touched his hair; he felt a layer of dust from the dome fall onto his head. Looking down, fine cracks in the marble radiated outward from around the black bag.
The noise startled all the goblins busy with their heads down.
They looked at the people in the center of the hall.
"I want to exchange for some Galleons. Would the 'giant' gentlemen mind coming out for a moment?" Mori Tsukisa leaned into Nagini's embrace, chewing on a biscuit the woman was feeding her.
The 'giant' gentlemen didn't care about the girl's minor sarcasm. Their short legs moved rapidly as they came out from behind the counters. Two or three of them crouched in front of the black bag and unzipped it—
A bag of glittering gold bars!
My goodness!
Gasps were heard all around.
"Gold, to be exchanged for Galleons?" The leading goblin had the most age spots; Mori Tsukisa felt it was only right for him to speak.
He pulled a specially-made small magnifying glass from his coat pocket. "Let me see... very high purity, very—however," he glanced at Mori Tsukisa's attire, a flash of cunning crossing his eyes, "there is a fee for the exchange, Miss. Can you accept that?"
"Whatever, just be quick about it." Mori Tsukisa nodded indifferently. The man beside her, who had been watching for a while, said something in a very soft voice that seemed to carry a hint of a rogue's threat: "I assume... it will be a standard fee, sir."
The head goblin drifted his drooping old eyes toward the man.
"It is... standard." He swallowed hard and bowed tremulously toward him. "Please help us; we can't lift these—"
The pale man drew his wand and gave it a light flick.
The bag of gold, heavy enough to shatter stone slabs, flew up onto the massive high platform like a feather.
Cool!
Mori Tsukisa had once again witnessed interesting sorcery.
"What is this?"
"I think we should exchange names first, shouldn't we? Most perfect creation of Venus, noble and beautiful lady—" He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, exuding an indescribable... sense of the grotesque.
"I am Gellert Grindelwald."
The man winked playfully and bowed like a gentleman.
"Um... I am Mori Tsukisa."
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