Several goblins joined forces, attempting to establish a defense.
They withstood the first wave of attacks.
"Damn it, this is a trap! The Cavendish family knew our plans all along!"
"There's a traitor among us!"
"Apparate away! We can't let them capture us!"
"Apparition is blocked! They've sealed the space inside the tower!"
"Damn it, fight our way out!"
The goblins fought fiercely, their fingers unleashing spells. They cast them silently, but against so many wizards, their attacks were insufficient. The Cavendish operatives attacked in coordinated waves, pouring spells down on the goblins relentlessly. Within moments, the goblins began to suffer casualties. With the first goblin eliminated, their defenses faltered in a chain reaction, and soon several goblins lay motionless on the ground. Meanwhile, the Cavendish side suffered zero casualties.
Rita stepped forward, approaching the goblin remains. She removed their black robes and began photographing with her camera. "This time, these goblins are finished!"
Old Tom nodded. "Execute all of Master's plans. Don't give these goblins any opportunity to dispute the narrative!"
"Of course," Rita replied. "Master's preparations this time will leave these goblins no possibility of defense!"
"I'll be going now," Old Tom said. "I need to await Master's awakening and report to him. I believe the first thing Master will want to see when he wakes is the latest issue of the Daily Prophet!"
"Agreed," Rita nodded. "I will ensure Master sees it immediately!"
The night passed swiftly, and no one knew what had transpired inside the tower. In Gringotts, the few goblins left behind were filled with anxiety. The operatives they had sent out had not returned.
"Why haven't they returned yet? I suspect they've been discovered!"
"If they were truly discovered, there should be some disturbance! The tower is completely silent, eerily quiet!"
"Then there are only two possibilities. First, they didn't find an opportunity to infiltrate... or..." The goblin paused. "Or, the Cavendish family eliminated them all without a sound!"
Upon hearing this, the goblins present fell silent.
"Impossible! We know their capabilities! Even Dumbledore couldn't have neutralized them silently!"
"That's right, we have exceptional magical resistance. Even if we were ambushed, there should be sounds of combat!"
They didn't know that the tower's underground facilities were constructed with sound-dampening materials. Even standing on the first floor, one couldn't hear sounds from below, let alone any noise from the depths.
The goblin who had allied with Cavendish spoke up. "Regardless of the circumstances, we must prepare in advance. We need contingency plans for whatever happens! If they simply didn't find an opportunity to infiltrate, that's acceptable, but if they were captured or eliminated by the Cavendish family, then we must prepare for the consequences!"
The other goblins nodded. "In open conflict, we have almost no chance of prevailing. Even if we manage to eliminate a few wizards, it won't mean much! We Gringotts personnel simply cannot sustain that!"
The traitor's eyes darted around as he said, "I think we should quickly recall all our forces from external locations and prepare for the worst. If conflict really breaks out, having more of us will make it easier to escape! Or, we could evacuate now and abandon Gringotts!"
As soon as the traitor finished speaking, someone immediately objected. "No, we don't know anything about the current situation. If we abandon Gringotts directly, the losses will be catastrophic!"
The traitor wasn't surprised at all by the objections. After all, being a goblin himself, he understood their nature perfectly. Greed made them unwilling to abandon Gringotts and its wealth.
"Then we must recall all our people," the traitorous goblin said. "If something really happens, with more of us, we have better chances of breaking through!"
The other goblins considered this and nodded. They were inherently selfish. If the same situation were presented to humans, humans would choose to let as many of their people escape as possible—to maximize survivors. But these goblins wouldn't think that way. They were among the strongest goblins; with more personnel, their personal chances of escape were greater. They didn't care about the lives of others, only their own survival. And the traitorous goblin, as one of them, had long understood their psychology perfectly. Therefore, he knew that no one would refuse his suggestion.
And he would gain additional leverage. Even more, he had performed such valuable service. He was still thinking of currying favor with Cavendish. Perhaps he even had a chance to become the manager of Cavendish vault operations. As a greedy goblin, he loved dealing with valuable items. He preferred seeing gold daily over freedom. Having witnessed Cavendish's power, he felt no guilt about betraying his own kind. Since defeat was inevitable, he didn't care. Securing more benefits for himself was far more important.
Time passed slowly. In the office, several goblins were filled with anxiety. The night passed, and dawn broke. The goblins who had attacked the tower hadn't returned. Many goblins had gathered in Gringotts, all recalled from various locations.
Rita finished her work for the night and immediately printed the newspaper. Eight o'clock sharp. Owls flew out from the headquarters of the Daily Prophet, soaring into homes and delivering copies.
In an ordinary wizarding household, a wizard yawned, opened the window, and took the newspaper from the owl's beak. After preparing a cup of coffee, he opened the paper. The first thing he saw...
The wizard spat out his coffee.
"Damn it, those damned goblins! How dare they!"
His wife walked over curiously. "What is it?"
"See for yourself! The goblins attacked Cavendish storage facilities yesterday. It's clearly Gringotts' doing, and many wizards are filing complaints. Some of their valuables have vanished!"