What truly made young Barty furious was that the goblins in front of him had been making a fool of him this whole time.
He had rushed to Gringotts the moment he received Voldemort's order a few days ago, bringing with him the key to the Lestrange family vault.
But at that time, those goblins had rejected his request on the grounds that he did not have the personal authorization of the vault owner and that a single key alone could not open a vault.
That he could still accept.
After all, Gringotts did indeed have this rule, Barty simply didn't know because he had been imprisoned for so many years.
But when he returned the next day, at great risk, with a handwritten authorization from Bellatrix Lestrange, they rejected him again, this time claiming that the note showed no magical fluctuation and they couldn't verify whether it was actually written by Mrs. Lestrange.
That was already forcing him into an impossible position.
Bellatrix was locked up in Azkaban, and the alliance between the Dementors and the Death Eaters hadn't fully formed yet. Where was he supposed to get a wand to deliver into Bellatrix's hands?
And when he finally managed, after racking his brains, to get both a wand and a proper letter of authorization, and came again for the third time, today, the reason the goblins gave for rejecting him became even more absurd.
They actually said that all appointments for today and tomorrow were fully booked, and told Barty to come back another day.
"Damn you greedy goblins! Those wizards back then should've just turned all of you into house-elf slaves!"
Barty cursed wildly in his heart at the "lofty" goblin before him.
Now he was completely sure.
These greedy creatures had never intended to let him take anything from the Lestrange family vault.
Anyone who thought for a moment would understand.
The Ministry of Magic had no authority to forcibly intervene in the vaults of criminals stored in Gringotts.
The only two surviving members of the Lestrange family were both locked in Azkaban, and might die at any time.
And once they died…
Wouldn't everything in the Lestrange family vault belong entirely to the goblins?
They were already extremely experienced at doing such things.
Most of the estates of the Death Eaters who were purged back then disappeared exactly like that.
Realizing all this, Barty became even angrier.
He didn't care at all if these goblins swallowed the properties of families that had died out.
But if they stopped him from getting the cup, that was absolutely unacceptable.
If he couldn't even complete such a simple task…
His great master would surely be completely disappointed in him.
Shaking his head, Barty glared viciously at the goblin behind the counter and said, "I'm going into the Lestrange family vault today!"
"I'm very sorry, sir, but I cannot meet that request. In order to reduce risks, Gringotts limits the number of visitors allowed into the underground vaults each day, and the appointments for today and tomorrow are already full."
The goblin looked down at Barty from above, a hint of contempt hidden beneath his respectful expression. "Not only that, mysterious sir, you aren't even willing to show us any legal identification. Sir… you wouldn't happen to be…"
The goblin stopped speaking.
But the hand that had been scribbling on the tabletop slipped under the counter.
"Damn it!" Barty swore.
He could guarantee that the goblin was about to press the alarm button under the counter, notifying the Ministry of Magic that there was a suspicious individual here.
This was absolutely something goblins would do, they were a shameless and greedy species by nature.
"I'll be back!"
Throwing out a harsh sentence, Barty tugged the brim of his hood lower and strode toward the exit.
He had already made up his mind.
He would bring people back and force his way into the Lestrange family vault to seize the cup.
And while he was at it, he would give these hateful goblins a lesson they'd never forget.
Of course, he wouldn't kill anyone.
Voldemort had always regarded goblins as potential allies. Revenge was one thing, but he couldn't ruin his master's plans.
Just as Barty was secretly planning his vengeance, a small dark figure suddenly flashed past him.
The gust of air it brought along lifted Barty's hood slightly, revealing his stunned face.
Because the shadow that had just passed by was the same goblin he had been talking to earlier.
And now that fellow had actually rushed out from behind the counter?
Is he coming to arrest me?
No time to think, Barty immediately took a defensive stance.
But the goblin flew past him without pausing at all, and instead threw himself respectfully before a middle-aged man and woman, "Mr. Norton, Miss Irene, please allow Ragring to offer you my sincerest greetings!"
As he said this, the goblin, called Ragring, bowed deeply, so respectfully that his long nose touched the carpet.
As far as Ragring knew, this middle-aged couple before him were immense figures in the American wizarding world, true magnates.
These newly arrived American upstarts were the best, foolish, loaded with money, and lavish with tips.
To quote a certain American tycoon whose money-throwing had once shocked the entire British wizard aristocracy, For people at our level, money has already become the most meaningless thing in the world. What we need is the best service, and respect.
Treating people like this with extra respect always paid off.
Sure enough, although the middle-aged couple only nodded haughtily, the two men behind them, obviously bodyguards or butlers, tossed out a handful of Galleons.
"Thank you for your generosity, esteemed Mr. Norton!"
Ragring's eyes lit up. Speaking as he moved, he dove at the still-bouncing gold coins like a starving dog pouncing on food, sweeping them eagerly into his arms.
Afterward, he even crawled forward, wanting to kiss the middle-aged man's leather shoes, but was kicked away forcefully.
"Hurry up and lead the way, don't waste my time!"
The middle-aged man spoke with disgust, as though he had just kicked a lump of smelly manure.
Ragring, just kicked aside, wasn't angry. He got up, apologized repeatedly, and then hurriedly led the group toward the inner passage.
His greedy and servile appearance made Barty feel utterly nauseated.
But at the same time, Barty noticed something.
The place Ragring was leading them… seemed to be the underground vaults?
Barty's eyes gleamed under his hood.
A dangerous idea surfaced in his mind.
Just then, the group actually stopped when passing by him.
The middle-aged man at the front stared at him silently.
Instinctively, Barty lowered his hood further, but then he heard the man's deep, magnetic voice ask, "And this is…?"
The next moment, before the man could finish, Ragring stepped in front of Barty and said, "Oh, Mr. Norton, this is just a penniless tramp trying to scrounge something off Gringotts! Having him stand here ruins the image of our bank and offends your eyes. I'll have him thrown out immediately!"
With that, Ragring turned around, his flattering expression instantly replaced by cold malice.
He snapped his fingers lightly, and three goblin guards in scarlet uniforms emerged from the corners, grabbing Barty by the arms.
Barty had been about to struggle, when he saw that strange flash of light in the middle-aged man's deep blue eyes.
Just that one glance gave Barty the illusion that the man had completely seen through him.
'Danger! Run!'
A massive sense of danger hit him like a wave, making his whole body go stiff. Every cell screamed at him to get away from this man.
Dragged all the way and thrown onto the street outside Gringotts, Barty finally shivered.
He couldn't help but look back toward the interior of the bank, even as his body kept retreating.
That man just now… was far too dangerous.
Even though the man hadn't made a move, that terrifying gaze had made him inexplicably think of Voldemort.
Did this mean that the UK had suddenly produced another figure as dangerous as his master?
His instincts as a servant told him the best choice now was to return and report everything to Voldemort.
But… that would mark him as incompetent.
If he couldn't even steal something from a vault, how could he be trusted with important tasks later?
Should he try again to steal the cup, or go back and report immediately?
Barty fell into deep conflict.
Meanwhile, inside Gringotts, the middle-aged man, Link, currently disguised as such, had a strange expression.
He hadn't expected to run into Barty here.
Which clearly meant Voldemort and the Death Eaters had also set their sights on the cup.
After all, a Death Eater like Barty, a wanted man, wouldn't come to Gringotts just to withdraw money for Christmas.
So the question was… Had they succeeded?
Link quickly shook his head.
The answer was no.
When he had used Legilimency to interrogate old Barty, Link had thoroughly seen Barty Jr.'s entire growth.
Barty Jr. was a madman, or rather, a martyr who lived solely for Voldemort and the glory of the Death Eaters.
If someone like him really managed to get the cup from the supposedly "unbreakable" Gringotts, what would he do?
Of course, he'd immediately cast a Dark Mark to announce his accomplishment.
The temptation was too great for someone like him, he couldn't resist.
And since he hadn't done so now, it meant he hadn't succeeded.
"Heh." Thinking this, Link let out a cold chuckle.
Emily looked over at him upon hearing it.
Link lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear, "That hooded man we just saw was Barty Crouch Jr. Have our people outside look for him. If they can capture him alive, do so."
A wicked grin tugged at Link's lips. "Heh, I'm curious how old Barty will react when he sees his unfilial son again."
Hearing this, Emily's eyes hardened slightly, but she said nothing, only nodded. Then she quickly took out a communication coin used within the Flamel family and sent instructions to the hunters waiting outside as backup.
While Link and Emily spoke, Ragring had already eagerly led the group down a rough stone corridor.
They walked along the torch-lit passage for quite some time before a track almost completely swallowed by darkness finally appeared before them.
"Honored guests, allow me the great privilege of presenting to you the pinnacle of goblin engineering, one of Gringotts' greatest treasures, the Goblin Glory Train!"
Ragring waved his arms excitedly at a fiery-red carriage the size of a small shack resting on the tracks. "Look at this marvelous design and brilliant color! All of it was built from mountains of Galleons!"
"Just to give the Goblin Glory Train such a natural red hue, we used two full tons of fire crystals, not to mention that the blueprint was drawn personally by Master Aesman! And also, look at this wooden door..."
"All right, I know this thing is very expensive, but can we leave now?" Newland, currently disguised as a butler, interrupted impatiently.
"Mr. Norton and Miss Irene must attend Minister Fudge's dinner later. We came here to choose a fitting gift from the vault. So please, hurry!"
Ragring, who had been annoyed at being interrupted, immediately became even more humble after hearing Newland's flattery about Fudge. He hurriedly ushered Link's group into the carriage.
When it was Link and Emily's turn to board, he even lay flat on the floor, trying to become a stepping stool for Link.
Link understood the intention, gave Newland a look, and the latter tossed out a few more Galleons, making Ragring beam with joy.
"Honored guests, please hold on, we're departing!"
Ragring gathered the coins quickly, then pulled the lever with practiced ease. The entire car jolted to life, weaving through the maze-like tunnels, occasionally diving sharply.
Inside the lavishly gilded carriage, Link and the others watched the stalactites flashing past outside, feeling rather amazed.
To be fair, this so-called Goblin Glory Train did indeed have some remarkable qualities.
Even ignoring the extravagant interior decoration obvious at a glance, its stability was unmatched by any other vehicle.
Inside, Link and the others felt no jolting or the push of inertia at all.
Goblin magic inscribed within the car kept everything outside perfectly isolated, giving them a space of near standstill.
They couldn't even hear the wind or the sound of the wheels on the tracks.
Of course, the carriage wasn't without flaws.
Its most fatal flaw was that it had no roof.
The violent wind stirred up by the high speed blew the indescribably strange smell of the caves straight inside, making Sigefin and Newland wrinkle their faces in disgust.
They couldn't understand why the goblins insisted on designing the Goblin Glory Train like this.
But soon enough, they understood the reason.
Because the carriage, under Ragring's control, was heading straight for a waterfall.
"My god! Do you even know how to drive!?"
"Are you trying to kill us!?"
Newland and Sigefin shouted in horror.
But Ragring ignored them completely.