Vid walked towards Harry and asked in a low voice, "Are you ready?"
Harry forced a slight smile and nodded, saying, "I'll try my best."
He actually felt a bit uneasy, as if speaking a few more words would make him so nervous he'd throw up.
The two entered the tent and saw most of the champions were already inside—
Fleur sat pale-faced in a corner, Victor looked sullen, Cedric paced back and forth, Stella's fingers were tapping incessantly on her magic wand, Asada Chinatsu's lips moved as if she was silently reciting some spell, Jabari, who had previously transformed into a mouse, was wobbling on a chair, and Babua from Uagadou was doing deep squats.
Everyone's demeanor was different, but they shared the same hint of nervousness and fear in their eyes. Just by looking at each other's expressions, it was clear everyone knew what they were up against.
In the silence, no one spoke.
After waiting for over ten minutes, the remaining people gradually walked into the tent, and Bagman cheerfully lifted the curtain and squeezed in.
"Alright, now that you're all here, let's introduce the situation!"
He spoke in a lively tone, "Since more than half of the contestants will be eliminated in this competition, to prevent unfair scoring, after more than half a month of very difficult discussions, we've finally decided to cancel the scoring system of previous Triwizard Tournaments—only those who achieve the target can successfully enter the second round!"
"Here's how the competition will go: First, you need to pick a model from this bag, which also has a number. This number determines your order of participation."
He waved a purple silk bag in his hand.
"Next, you need to pass through some kind of obstacle and touch a compass in the middle of the arena… Don't worry about not seeing it, it's very conspicuous."
"The compass will send you into a prepared venue where sixteen golden eggs are hidden. Only students who retrieve a golden egg and return safely can avoid elimination and proceed to the next round… Any questions?"
Bagman looked at everyone with an excited smile, but the tent was silent, as if everyone had decided not to ask any unnecessary questions.
—Of course, it might be because many were still organizing the order of the competition in their minds, unsure of what to ask.
Bagman waited for about ten seconds, and in the quiet, he untied the bag in his hand and extended it toward Harry, who was closest to him.
"Just draw casually; everyone has the same chance."
Harry glanced at Vid, reached in, and pulled out a black egg, about the size of a regular chicken egg, with a white number "3" on it.
The next moment, the egg cracked in his hand, and a small black dragon emerged, stretching its wings and spitting a small burst of flame.
Harry's face turned pale instantly—this was one of the most dangerous dragons, the Hungarian Horntail.
"Oh..."
Bagman instinctively let out a sigh, surprised at Harry's bad luck. But he didn't have time to comment further; he passed the bag to the next person.
Soon, Vid also drew a green egg from the bag, numbered "1."
He thought he had been lucky to draw the Common Welsh Green, but when the eggshell cracked, a black figure emerged, and a little tail swiped, smashing the nearby eggshell.
This was a Hebridean Black.
Vid narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly recalling information about this type of dragon:
The adult black dragon was thirty feet long, with a row of sharp, saw-like spikes from the back of its head to its spine. Its tail ended in a sharp arrowhead, capable of piercing a person easily.
The Hebridean Black was very territorial and skilled at sweeping attacks with its tail. Its fire-breathing range was average.
The downside was its relatively slow action and violent temperament.
Lucky.
Vid liked these slow-moving creatures.
On the other side, Fleur, who had drawn the Common Welsh Green, originally had an expression of resigned fate, but after seeing the dragons Harry and Vid had drawn, her face looked slightly better.
However, the girl's eyes seemed to say—"Poor little boys, you're doomed."
After everyone drew the dragons they would face, Bagman happily said:
"You've all seen your adversaries, right? The number on the eggshell indicates the order of your participation. In a while, someone will take you to where you need to be. So… Harry… could you come with me? I have a few words to say to you."
Harry, clutching the dragon model, followed the referee out, looking bewildered.
Then, a curly brown-haired boy peeked in and asked, "Who drew the Hebridean Black? Please come with me."
"Rolf?" Vid said in surprise, "Why are you here?"
This boy was Newt Scamander's grandson. Vid sometimes corresponded with Mr. Scamander, and he got along well with Rolf. However, since they weren't in the same year, they didn't meet often.
"Vid!" Rolf said excitedly, "I knew I'd see you, so I rushed over first! Oh… you drew the Hebridean Black? Quite the fate."
Meanwhile, four others in the tent also came out, namely Jabari from Uagadou, Natalia from Kodostorians, Hope from Salem, and Ganesh from Mando.
As they walked, Rolf said, "Last night, the dean said in the common room that the competition needed several volunteers and asked who could sign up, so I did. Luckily, there weren't many people then, or else I wouldn't have gotten picked!"
"What do volunteers need to do?" Ganesh asked in peculiar English, "Boy, where are we going now?"
The tall wooden barriers blocked everyone's view, preventing them from seeing the other side. They could only hear the excited chatter of the audience in the distance and the roar of dragons.
"Of course, we're going to where the Hebridean Black is located!" Rolf turned back and gave him a bright smile, "What I need to do is simple—guide the contestants and then remind everyone of their turn."
He turned his head and asked excitedly, "Vid, what number are you?"
Vid picked up the remaining eggshell in his hand, showing the number on it.
"First? Being first is good too." Rolf comforted his friend, "The earlier you start, the easier to find the golden egg."
Vid smiled and said, "That's what I thought too."
"Good luck!" Rolf said with a clenched fist, "I know you can do it!"
"Starting later doesn't necessarily have any drawbacks." Jabari feigned a relaxed demeanor. "I'm number 5; if you put in the effort and deal with the dragon, maybe I'll just stumble upon the compass."
"There might not be any golden eggs by then, and you won't be able to enter the second round." Rolf reminded.
Hope, walking at the back, suddenly said in a low voice, "You can snatch one."
Rolf: "Ah?"
"That's right, not finding a golden egg doesn't mean you can't snatch one." Natalia grinned.
She looked at Vid and said, "Be careful, only those who return with a golden egg are the victors."
Vid calmly said, "You should be careful too—when you're about to find a golden egg, I might be waiting there in ambush!"
The two shared a smile, their eyes locking, as if sparks were flying, hiding a sharp edge.
Ganesh rubbed his chin and suddenly said slowly, "You all… If everyone has the same idea as you, will there still be sixteen people left in the end?"