[Enter, stranger, but take heed] [Of what awaits the sin of greed,] [For those who take, but do not give,] [Must pay most dearly for their part.] [So if you seek beneath our floors] [A treasure that was never yours,] [Thief, you have been warned, beware,] [Of finding more than treasure there.] Sherlock withdrew his gaze from these lines.
It was obvious that this wizarding bank possessed absolute confidence in its security measures.
How should one put it?
Every bank thought so—right up until an incident occurred.
Sherlock observed the grand marble hall while pondering, spotting several security flaws after only a moment’s consideration.
Without magic, if given a single night, he could easily put this bank in the headlines: *Shocking!
Bank Wealth Vanishes into Thin Air as Mysterious Figure Bypasses Security with Ease* This was nothing unheard of.
Take, for example, the theft of financial bonds in London just a year ago.
The Bank of England’s response at the time was a classic textbook case.
Stage one: Claim nothing happened.
Stage two: Say something might have happened, but we shouldn’t take action.
Stage three: Say maybe we should take action, but there’s nothing we can do.
Stage four: Say maybe we could have done something back then, but now it’s too late.
The wizarding bank could certainly learn a thing or two from that.
However, Sherlock now knew magic existed in this world.
Until he fully understood this unfamiliar concept, it was best not to act recklessly.
When they reached the counter, an idle Goblin was led over by the Goblin who had guided them earlier to handle the exchange for the three of them.
The exchange rate between Galleons and British pounds wasn’t fixed; today it was 1:5.
This inevitably came as a bit of a surprise.
After all, it was 1991, and the pound was still very strong.
The fact that a Galleon was worth five times as much as a pound was quite remarkable.
Fortunately, the scenario Mrs.
Holmes worried about didn’t happen, as they had brought plenty of money—enough to exchange for nearly a thousand Galleons.
However, an unexpected hiccup occurred just as they were preparing to exchange currency.
There was actually a limit on exchanging pounds for wizarding currency!
Sherlock was surprised at first upon hearing the news, but quickly felt a sense of clarity.
In the non-magical world, there were also limits on exchanging domestic currency for foreign currency, mainly to prevent excessive capital mobility.
Excessive capital flow, especially large inflows of short-term capital, could trigger severe fluctuations in financial markets.
Under specific economic conditions, such as economic downturns or heightened financial volatility, lacking foreign exchange controls would lead to capital flight, currency devaluation, financial chaos, and even financial crises.
Thus, for reasons like maintaining foreign exchange reserves, protecting the domestic economy, and keeping order in financial markets, nations restricted the annual foreign currency allowance for ordinary citizens.
Once exceeded, no more foreign currency could be exchanged that year.
Since the wizarding world had its own independent monetary system, having an exchange limit was understandable…
like hell it was!
If the restriction applied to everyone, it might make sense.
However, according to the Goblin, wizards from non-wizarding families could exchange at most 128 Galleons per year.
As for pure wizarding families, although the Goblin didn’t state their limit, Sherlock knew from observation alone that it far exceeded 128 Galleons.
One could even boldly assume wizarding families faced no exchange limit at all.
What else could he say?
It was blatant discrimination.
Yet, relying on his meticulous observation, Sherlock still discovered another avenue on the teller’s ledger.
The 128-Galleon limit seemed to apply strictly to British pounds.
So he inquired further.
Sure enough, Gringotts also purchased gold, jewelry, antiques, and the like.
In other words, while pounds could only buy up to 128 Galleons, precious items like gold could be exchanged for more.
Sherlock’s eyes immediately lit up.
He suddenly realized he had found a brand-new laundering route for London’s criminals!
Gringotts, the ultimate money-laundering haven!
Provided they could get in here, of course.
Although the Goblin he questioned looked impatient, under Sherlock’s persistent probing, the Goblin provided another piece of information: 128 Galleons was more than enough to purchase all the items a first-year student needed for school.
After all, beyond these supplies, attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was entirely compulsory education—room and board included, completely free of charge.
This detail aligned with the non-magical world.
In the UK, compulsory education began at age five in nursery school and ended at seventeen with secondary school.
During this period, children of school age were required to enroll, and parents had to send their children to school.
Students enjoyed free state welfare, with tuition, books, and essential supplies covered.
Age eleven marked the transition from primary to secondary education.
Thus, aside from the shopping expense before each school year, there were theoretically no additional costs.
Ultimately, after paying 640 pounds to exchange for the maximum limit of Galleons, Sherlock and his parents left Gringotts.
For a long while after leaving Gringotts, Mrs.
Holmes appeared somewhat glum.
Influenced by the mindset of “live frugally at home, travel wealthy on the road,” she was already considering whether to head home first, grab their gold items, and convert them to Galleons here so her son wouldn’t suffer far away in Scotland.
Sherlock promptly stopped her.
“Let’s go shopping first.
If we really run short on money, we can try that method.” Mrs.
Holmes agreed to Sherlock’s proposal.
Next came the shopping spree.
Following the requirements on the admissions list, Sherlock bought a pile of textbooks, along with cauldrons, scales, telescopes, and other supplies needed for magic classes.
During this process, Sherlock realized the Gringotts Goblin had exaggerated.
128 Galleons was merely enough for the required items, by no means “more than enough.” Judging by the prices of items he had bought, three sets of plain work robes cost 20 Galleons, a telescope cost 10 Galleons, and even a feather quill for writing cost 1 Galleon.
Most absurd of all, a brand-new textbook cost 9 Galleons.
Was knowledge in the wizarding world really this expensive?
This made the already unhappy Mrs.
Holmes feel even worse.
Because of this, she firmly vetoed Sherlock’s idea of buying secondhand textbooks.
Sherlock couldn’t help feeling a bit helpless.
He was a classic pragmatist.
In his view, secondhand textbooks were no different from new ones, yet cost only a third of the price.
That was an absolute steal.
If left to his own judgment, he would definitely choose secondhand textbooks.
Unfortunately, his mother refused to agree.
In addition to the assigned reading list, Sherlock bought several extra books.
For instance, *Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century* and *The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts*, which could help him better understand the wizarding world.
There was also a bestseller by an author named Bear Grylls—*Ultimate Survival Manual*.