Chapter 131: Ranrok's Manuscript
The manuscript was an aged piece of parchment, bearing the marks of time. Goblins couldn't cast magic without a wand, and the manuscript was full of traces of years gone by.
Cyrus saw a cross-eyed goblin roughly grabbing the manuscripts. The goblin had a hideous, fearsome face and was less than a meter tall, standing arrogantly on a tall, gilded platform, looking down at the other goblins who were gazing up at him.
From Doclo's memory, Cyrus learned that this cross-eyed goblin was Bodrig, the current leader of the Goblin Brotherhood.
The Goblin Brotherhood, abbreviated as B.O.G., was a radical group urgently advocating for goblin rights. Like other members of this organization, Bodrig himself was also a radical.
He grabbed the manuscript, strutting back and forth on the high platform like a proud rooster, as if this could make him look tall and imposing. But in reality, his gesture looks ridiculous.
Of course, the goblins who followed him didn't think so.
Cyrus felt like he had stumbled into the only splash of color in a gray world, out of place but undeniably part of this phantom group. He walked among the goblins, and any goblin his body touched dissipated like smoke, reforming once he moved past.
Every goblin's greedy eyes are full of longing and admiration at this moment.
"Brothers! Look at this!" Bodrig held Ranrok's manuscript high, drawing all the goblins' attention to the aged parchment scroll.
"Guess what this is?" A mischievous gleam flashed in his eyes. Without waiting for the goblins to respond, he immediately revealed the answer. "This is something left by the 'Great Goblin' Ranrok."
What surprised Cyrus was that when Ranrok's name was mentioned, the goblins immediately changed their happiness to angry expressions. They clenched their fists hard, their sharp nails digging into the rough skin.
"That traitor!"
"Liar!"
"Thief!"
The insults surged like waves among the hundreds of goblins, continuous and unending. When Cyrus saw Doclo's expression he seemed as if he wished to tear Ranrok's parchment to pieces.
Even though he hadn't played the game much, Cyrus knew that Ranrok had been the leader of the goblins at the time. But now, the situation was evidently different.
At least a century later, Ranrok had become a figure of scorn among goblins. Even the title of "Great Goblin" was used as a mocking comment, full of irony.
Cyrus was curious about what had led to all this, and fortunately, Bodrig generously "explained" it for him.
"That's right! It's that liar, that betrayer! The despicable and shameless thief who took away our precious goblin treasure and disappeared without a trace!" Bodrig angrily threw the manuscript to the ground as if discarding a pile of trash.
"He claimed that we goblins didn't need to seek wands, but could obtain power even greater than that of wizards. And what was the result? This so-called ancient magic was nothing but a scam!"
Ancient magic, just a scam?
Cyrus found it hard to believe.
"That's not magic that ordinary people can learn at all. We can't learn it, Ranrok couldn't learn it, and even those wizards rarely master the mysteries of ancient magic.
"It's just for these illusory things! We spent all our money to build a powerful goblin armor. It could have led us to glory, led us to defeat the wizard and take back everything that belongs to us! But in the end, that was stolen by that liar. !"
Bodrick was furious.
Since the rebellion in the 18th century, the goblins had not initiated any large-scale rebellions.
The Ministry of Magic thought their dissatisfaction had been quelled by relinquishing complete control of Gringotts to the goblins.
But in reality, Gringotts only temporarily satisfied their desires.
The goblins were insatiable, and not long after acquiring Gringotts, their rebellious heart immediately resurfaced.
They put all their resources into forging a set of goblin armor with immense magical power. However, Ranrok took it away, promising to return with greater power, and then disappeared without a trace.
With the armor lost, the goblins had to once again "quiet down" and wait for the next suitable opportunity.
It could be said that Ranrok was a sinner to the goblins, a thief and a trailer who prevented them from supplanting the wizards.
"I know some of us have followed him—"
Bodrick raised a finger. His finger was like a dry, peeling branch. The nail was thick and looked like the shell of a nut. As his fingers passed over every goblin present, some of the very old-looking people lowered their heads in shame.
"Don't worry, brothers, you were just deceived." Bodrig's fury seemed to dissipate, at least outwardly. His calm words were a comfort and a constraint to those ashamed goblins, a kind of magic without being magical.
Because immediately, their eyes shone with resolute determination.
"Ranrok is a greedy thief who monopolized the secrets of ancient magic and stole our treasures! Perhaps even now, he's somewhere in a corner, constantly caressing the precious artifact, indulging in the full display of his powerful magical abilities and venting his desires."
"But—" a trembling goblin raised a hand from within the crowd, "you said that magic was just a scam, that no one could learn it..."
The goblins fell silent.
"Yes, I did say that." Bodrig nodded solemnly. "In fact, before discovering Ranrok's manuscript, I always believed that."
"So, ancient magic is real? Ranrok's manuscript records the secrets of how to control that magic?" Many goblins' eyes brightened, their inner desires stirring once more.
"Perhaps. But why should we repeat his mistake?" Bodrig asked rhetorically.
His words brought a measure of calm to the goblins.
"Even if we follow in Ranrok's footsteps to seek ancient magic, it might ultimately be in vain. Brothers! I believe that one day we will uncover its secrets, but not now. It will be when we have tangibly reclaimed the status that belongs to us goblins!"
Bodrig's thinking was straightforward: Ranrok's manuscript might be real, and ancient magic could indeed exist, but for goblins without wands, it was like a parched traveler in a desert coming across a heap of cookies.
Food was necessary, but what they needed more urgently was water.
What they needed more was a wand to perform magic.
"I believe the wizards will be interested in it. As a bargaining chip, I think we can demand wands."
"Are you saying we should give the clues about ancient magic to the wizards?" a goblin asked discontentedly.
Bodrig had clearly meant "Deal," but to them, it sounded more like a "free giveaway."
"Of course not, Bowlegs." Bodrick grinned slyly. "I want to remind you not to forget about the dragons I've been raising!"
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Cyrus and OG Voldemort are having a roasting battle lol