Chapter 162: Don’t want to...

    I''m always forgetting the spelling of Athenaeum so I''ll refer to it as Hall of Knowledge.

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    "I must thank you, Cyrus. If you hadn''t killed that wizard''s body at Gringotts, I wouldn''t have found this vessel after escaping," Voldemort said softly.

    For over a hundred years, Ranrok''s body had seemingly lain in some corner of the underground caverns beneath Gringotts. He hadn''t died, but had lost consciousness. This allowed Voldemort to easily take control of the body, simultaneously gaining access to Ranrok''s memories.

    Now, Voldemort had obtained the entry ticket to ancient magic. When he was fully revived, he could conduct some magical experiments to transfer Ranrok''s ancient magic talents to himself.

    At that point, not even Dumbledore would be a match for him.

    Of course, Voldemort still had one more question for Cyrus.

    "Tell me, what have you done with my Horcruxes?"

    Despite Voldemort''s attempt to appear calm, his voice quickened, and his pupils contracted when he mentioned the Horcruxes. After discovering the loss of the goblet, Voldemort had immediately checked on his other Horcruxes, only to find that they were all missing.

    He hadn''t gone to look for the diadem, but he had little hope for it now.

    "You stole my things. I believe Dumbledore taught you that this was wrong, didn''t he?" Voldemort said.

    Cyrus: ???

    "You''ve got to be joking, Tom," Cyrus almost laughed. "Aside from the diary and the ring, which one of those Horcruxes truly belonged to you?"

    "Those are my Horcruxes! Fragments of my soul!" Voldemort snarled at Cyrus. "You didn''t destroy them, did you? You wouldn''t do that, would you? It wouldn''t be beneficial for you."

    "Who knows? Not everyone acts solely for benefit. Maybe I was just curious," Cyrus replied with a playful tone.

    Toying with a Dark Lord was certainly entertaining.

    "How about we make a deal? I can tell you that I have two Horcruxes right now. Hand over that book, and I''ll give you the ring," Cyrus proposed an offer Voldemort would find hard to refuse.

    In reality, Cyrus intended to deceive Voldemort. He had already consumed the soul fragment within the ring. The ring was now just an empty shell, a broken container with no use.

    Swapping the ring for the book would be a pure gain for Cyrus!

    But to Cyrus''s surprise, Voldemort refused.

    Voldemort was actually a bit surprised; he thought Cyrus might have three Horcruxes.

    Could the diadem still be in the Room of Requirement? Voldemort''s mind started racing.

    If the diadem was still there, he had little to worry about. Even if only one Horcrux remained, it would still ensure his immortality. He had made so many Horcruxes precisely to handle situations like this.

    "You''re so foolish, Cyrus," he said with a relaxed smile.

    "By killing you, both the ring and the cup will be mine!"

    Voldemort''s face was filled with arrogance, apparently bolstered by Ranrok''s talent and the goblin armor.

    Indeed, Voldemort was stronger now compared to when he was in Gringotts.

    However, Cyrus noticed that even with Ranrok''s ancient magic talent and mithril-enhanced magical strength, the power he wielded still fell short of the Voldemort who hadn''t yet faced death.

    Although the special magic that could wield ancient spells provided a significant boost to the power of magic, breaking the rules of modern magic, it didn''t necessarily mean that those who mastered ancient magic were stronger than modern wizards.

    Each wizard''s magical strength varied.

    Wizards like Voldemort and Dumbledore were absolute geniuses, even in the entire history of wizards!

    "Kill me? You think you can just because you''ve got a new body?"

    Cyrus, having been attuned to the echoes of ancient magic these past few days, had also seen an increase in his magical strength. Additionally, after absorbing Voldemort''s soul fragment, his magical power had significantly improved.

    Ultimately, Voldemort was just a defeated adversary. What was there to fear?

    This time, without waiting for Voldemort to make a move, Cyrus took a step forward and his wand shot out a black curse.

    Voldemort fell silent.

    "Once again, how about we make a deal?"

    Cyrus smiled and took out a broken ring.

    After a subtle rub in his hand, the ring suddenly looked as good as new.

    "Let''s exchange this Horcrux for that magical book you just obtained."

    The silver ring gleamed in Cyrus''s hand. In the dim cave, Voldemort couldn''t see it clearly from over ten meters away. However, he could confirm it was the Gaunt family ring, his Horcrux!

    He hesitated.

    He wasn''t sure about Cyrus''s current state, but he was certainly alarmed by the power of the spell Cyrus had just cast!

    That fire, no doubt evolved from Fiendfyre, likely infused with the ancient magic''s power, combined with lightning for an even more devastating effect.

    There was one point Cyrus made that Voldemort agreed with wholeheartedly: continuing to fight wouldn''t yield any benefits, especially with that old undying Dumbledore right overhead.

    Cyrus was determined to get that book, and if Voldemort didn''t hand it over, he suspected Cyrus wouldn''t let him leave so easily.

    The location of the Hall of Knowledge still belonged to Hogwarts, where Apparition was not possible, and Cyrus had blocked the only exit. Unless he abandoned Ranrok''s body, there was no way out.

    But this body was still useful to him.

    Although he looked down on Ranrok, a goblin, his magical power surpassed that of most wizards. Before his complete resurrection, Voldemort wasn''t willing to lose this body. Even after his resurrection, he needed to study this body to ensure that he could possess the ancient magic talent after being revived.

    In other words, Ranrok''s body was more important to Voldemort than that book, which might contain ancient magic.

    It was his key to mastering ancient magic.

    Voldemort''s crimson eyes gleamed with greed as he slowly extended two twisted, branch-like fingers:

    "Not just the ring, but also the cup! Two Horcruxes in exchange!"

    If they were going to trade, one Horcrux wasn''t enough, right?

    Voldemort doesn''t want his lifeblood to be in the hands of others. He wants both the cup and the ring!

    ''Hand over the cup?''

    Cyrus hesitated for a moment.

    The cup was different from the crown. It would not be of any use to him for the time being. Even if he handed it over, he would not lose anything. Voldemort could not destroy the cup anyway, so he could find a way to get it back later.

    But after a brief thought, he still did not agree to Voldemort''s request.

    If the cup was given to Voldemort, it would be difficult to find it again. Having already lost his Horcrux once, Voldemort would definitely store it in a place where no one could find it, or even throw it into the sea.

    He didn''t want to face a Voldemort who could never be killed.

    "Only the ring!"

    Cyrus said without letting anyone know.

    Although he was not in good condition at the moment, he still acted very strong, and only in this way could Voldemort not understand his current condition.

    Of course, Cyrus was not taking risks without any confidence, and in the worst case, he was also sure to get out of it unscathed.

    The so-called worst refers to the fact that Voldemort and Dumbledore joined forces to kill him.

    And this is obviously impossible.

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