Chapter 139 – Goblins
"Everything is ready?" Grindelwald asked, looking at us in his old family home.
"Yes, we are ready to go!"
He appeared shortly after we arrived, telling us that everything should be fine. After a brief rest, we were on the road again, this time heading to his secret stash, where we would recover the resources he finally remembered about. Our first stop would be in Germany, in a national park somewhere deep within the country. I had little to no knowledge of the language, and Quincy knew nothing about the place either. Not that it mattered; we would defer to any of Grindelwald's decisions anyway.
"Be mindful of your words when we arrive because wizards do not rule the area. This is going to be the territory of goblins, and their customs are a bit... different. To put it kindly."
"So we would have to speak Gobbledegook?" We asked, looking at each other with Quincy, "None of us knows a word..."
"I guessed so. Don't worry, I do speak it. Also, magic won't work translating it because they would take offense to the fact. So, I will be the one who speaks and translates. Follow me strictly and do what I say. Angering goblins in their own turf is not the same as angering them in a Gringotts!"
"It isn't?" Quincy asked, looking a bit lost. We did have a run-in with them when we fled, and... just after one refusal, our banker became pretty snarky, no longer keen on helping us.
"You know not much about goblins, huh?" He answered with a shrug, signaling for us to sit down. "Okay, then I am going to give you a quick summary of what you need to be aware of goblins. Listen well because I won't repeat myself!"
"Yes!" We answered, even getting quills and a notebook out, ready to take notes as if we were back in school.
"The place is an original goblin country, where wizarding laws mean nothing. What you must understand is that they are vastly different from us. First off, let me tell you about what they call a Profit Motive and Craftsmanship.
Goblins are a shrewd and entrepreneurial species known for their insatiable appetite for profit and exceptional metalwork and craftsmanship skills. Why do you think they run the one and only banking system in the wizarding world? They believe that accumulating wealth is the highest priority in life and view commerce as a sacred pursuit. However, they are also renowned for their expertise in creating magical artifacts and enchanted items—the side that we, wizards, are most familiar with."