bacchusnovels Chapter 473 King Qin Walks Around the Pillar
Chapter 473 King Qin Walks Around the Pillar
Chapter 473 King Qin Walks Around the Pillar
Furong looked down at the miniature dragon, her face showing no surprise, but rather a calm, almost fatalistic expression.
Harry's heart sank, and he instantly understood that Madam Maxim must have told him in advance about the challenges he was about to face.
He turned to look at Cedric beside him. Compared to the composure of the other warriors, Cedric's reaction was undoubtedly more genuine—perhaps Cedric was the only one who didn't know about today's challenge beforehand.
Harry felt a little uneasy.
Although he himself only learned of the dragon's existence before the match began, at least he had seen it beforehand, and Cedric, only now, finally understood what he was about to face.
This passive situation made him appear more nervous and isolated.
Seeing that Fleur had pulled out her model, Bagman excitedly waved his hand, signaling to continue: "Next is Selena. Facing the outstretched bag, Selena didn't hesitate to reach into it, her fingertips quickly rummaging inside."
Then, I decisively pulled out a miniature dragon model—Peruvian Venomosaurus, number 6.
She looked down at the little dragon in her palm; its deep red scales shimmered in the dim light, and its long fangs were slightly open, revealing sharp tips.
Selena's face showed no emotion; she simply calmly clenched the miniature dragon in her palm.
Eileen, standing to the side, was observing her expression.
Immediately afterwards, Eileen also drew a number 7.
"Miss Qiu Zhang." Bagman smiled and handed her the bag.
Qiu stared at the cloth bag, hesitated for half a second, then reached in, gently fiddled with it with her fingertips, and slowly pulled out a fireball, number 3.
She quickly composed herself, nodded gently, and held the small model in her hand, as if trying to grasp the immense size represented by the tiny metal piece.
Soon, all the witches in the room drew their numbers.
Next, it was the male wizard's turn.
Cedric was the first to be affected, pacing back and forth.
Bagman seemed oblivious to the unease on Cedric's face, and continued to cheerfully hand him the purple silk bag: "Your turn, lad."
Cedric stopped, took a deep breath, and tried his best to appear calm.
He slowly reached into the bag, his fingertips touching a cold metal object, and then pulled out a model of a Swedish short-nosed dragon with a "number 1" tag hanging on its chest.
Cedric stared at the miniature dragon for a few seconds, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, as if he were trying to process the fact.
Then, he nodded, took a deep breath, clenched the small model tightly in his palm, and said nothing more, but his expression was even more unpleasant than before.
Then, Krum slowly reached out and calmly pulled out a small model.
"Hungarian Ceratosaurus, number four," Bagman announced loudly.
Krum looked down at the model in his hands, his expression unchanged, still that unfathomable coldness.
He made no reaction, as if the results of the draw would have no effect on him.
However, a hint of worry flashed in Eileen's eyes.
Indeed, the Hungarian Ceratosaurus is considered the most dangerous of these dinosaurs.
Finally, it was Harry's turn.
Bagman held the bag up to him with a bright smile.
Harry took a deep breath, reached into the bag, and gently felt around with his fingers until he touched a hard, cold piece of metal.
He slowly withdrew his hand, looked down and saw a Romanian horned dinosaur, number 8.
The miniature golden vertical children's eyes were staring straight at him, like a real hunter.
"Alright, you've all got them!" Bagman waved excitedly, breaking the brief silence. "You've all drawn the dragons you'll be facing. The number on its neck indicates the order in which you'll confront the dragon, understand? Okay, I need to leave you for a bit now because I need to give an explanation to the audience."
Bagman clapped his hands and gave instructions.
"Mr. Diggory, you're the first one. As soon as you hear the whistle, get into that area, understand?"
Cedric nodded stiffly.
Seeing Cedric like this, Harry felt a sense of weightlessness.
Everything before his eyes seemed unreal—in other words, only now did he feel it was real.
There has always been only a somewhat blurred line between reality and illusion.
Harry couldn't understand, or rather, he wasn't prepared for this challenge at all.
"Well—Harry," Bagman's voice came again, "can I say a few words to you? Come outside."
Harry didn't respond immediately, but mechanically followed Bagman, his mind a jumble of thoughts.
"Come on, come with me," Bagman said with a smile, trying to comfort him.
Bagman led him to a slightly secluded spot, through a grove of trees, then turned around with a fatherly expression on his face.
"How are you feeling, Harry? Is there anything I can help you with?"
"What?" Harry asked blankly. "I don't need it."
"Have you figured it out yet?" Bagman's voice lowered, a sly glint in his eyes. "If you're willing,"
"I can give you a few ideas," he lowered his voice and continued, "I mean," you're at a disadvantage here, Harry—if I can help—
"No," Harry interrupted him abruptly, knowing he was being somewhat rude, "No—I—I know what I should do, thank you."
Bagman blinked, his smile unchanged. "No one will know, Harry."
"No need, I'm fine," Harry replied softly. He himself didn't understand why, in situations like this, he always subconsciously kept telling others that he was "fine." In fact, he had no idea when he started feeling so bad.
"I've come up with a plan, I—"
Suddenly, a whistle blew from a distance.
"God, I have to run!" Bagman cried out in panic and took off running.
Harry paused for a moment, his heart racing, and he walked toward the tent.
Just then, Cedric emerged from the tent, his face even paler than before.
As they passed each other, Harry wanted to wish him good luck, but all he managed to utter was a low mutter: "Good luck—"
On the other hand, the atmosphere in the audience was quite different.
Screams, cheers, applause, and even the distant growls of magical creatures filled the plaza with an atmosphere of tension and excitement.
Thousands of spectators (not only Hogwarts students, but also people from all walks of life invited to watch the game) waved flags and banners in the stands, brightly colored magical flames burned everywhere, and even a few flying brooms hovered in the air from time to time, making the scene extremely frenzied.
Sean sat in a corner of the audience, surrounded by Ron and Hermione.
The three of them sat side by side. Hermione's left hand was clenched into a fist nervously, while her right hand secretly tugged at Sean's robe. Her eyes kept drifting to the distance of the arena, her gaze filled with anxiety. Ron, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed than her, although he occasionally muttered something under his breath, he also seemed to be trying hard to restrain himself.
"Do you really think they can do it?" Hermione asked in a low voice.
"I don't know," Ron shrugged, his gaze fixed on the field, and said softly, "but I think they should know what they're doing."
"Professor, what do you think?" Hermione suddenly turned her head, her gaze fixed nervously on Sean.
Sean paused for a moment, then replied, "I believe they will all be alright, following the guidance of fate."
To be honest, this sounded a bit strange, and even he himself felt a little unnatural about it.
Logically speaking, the dangers of the Triwizard Tournament were already well known, especially when facing dragons far larger than themselves, young wizards could hardly guarantee their safety.
Moreover, Hogwarts is now completely different from what it was a hundred years ago; the intensity and difficulty of magic have undergone tremendous changes.
Strangely, regardless of the speculation, the four young wizards—including Harry—completed their tasks efficiently in the competition, and were even able to escape unscathed when facing these powerful creatures.
If we have to trace back from the result to the cause, the only reason we can find is "fate".
Fate seemed to be invisibly guiding them, leading them towards seemingly impossible challenges. Even when faced with immense danger, even the threat of death, fate always offered a glimmer of hope at the most crucial moment.
To be more precise, it can only be attributed to "great fortune".
These wizards, or the wizards of this generation, are born to be favored by fate, possessing extraordinary luck.
Seeing Hermione's adorable face scrunched up in a tight little ball, Sean instinctively wanted to reach out and pinch her cheek, but then he thought of the surrounding environment and put his hand down. Just then, a burst of whispers and discussions erupted from the audience.
"The first warrior has arrived!"
"Who is it?"
"I can't see very clearly."
"Judging from their clothes, they should be students of Hogwarts."
"It's Cedric!"
Lee Jordan will once again be the commentator for this Triwizard Tournament.
As everyone's attention focused on the arena entrance, Lee Jordan's voice rang out loudly, carrying his usual excitement and humor:
"Dear viewers! Today we welcome the first warrior of the Triwizard Tournament—Cedric Diggory!"
He's the pride of Hogwarts, representing Hufflepuff! I must say, he was incredibly nervous today, but who can blame him? After all, he was facing a dragon!
As he spoke, he jokingly took off his hat, but this action was met with glances from Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, so he put it back on.
"Let's see if he can, like in the past, rely on his composure and wisdom in the Quidditch arena to stand out in this match. Well, as you can see, Cedric is slowly walking towards the center of the field, looking like..."
"He seems to be ready!"
Ron stared intently ahead as Cedric's figure weaved through the crowd and the gazes of the spectators, gradually entering the arena.
"I really don't know whether to say he's lucky or unlucky," he muttered to himself.
Lee Jordan's voice continued to echo excitedly through the air: "Wow! Cedric has reached the starting line! But as we all know, this isn't an easy road. Ladies and gentlemen, do you see that? The dragon is already waiting for him over there!"
"The mission of this competition is to successfully obtain the golden egg! But how can he do it? The dragon's fire, the dragon's power—any one of them could burn him to ashes!"
Lee Jordan's commentary style is always so rhythmic and humorous. Even when the situation is tense, he seems to be able to insert a lighthearted tone at any moment, allowing the audience to breathe a sigh of relief.
This is probably the biggest reason why he was chosen to host this competition.
"Ah! Cedric's wand is raised! He's getting ready! As you can see, his movements are indeed swift and decisive; it seems he's truly prepared!"
However, for those who own a singleton telescope, the situation is quite different.
They could clearly see that Cedric's hand, which was holding the wand, was trembling uncontrollably.
However, before Cedric could have much time to adjust, the Swedish short-nosed dragon suddenly swung its head, and a burst of blazing flames erupted from its throat, slicing through the sky.
"Fire! Fire! Did Cedric get out of the way?" Lee Jordan's voice suddenly rose, became urgent, and was filled with anxiety.
Cedric reacted almost instantly!
He leaped suddenly, his body seemingly defying gravity, and flipped rapidly to the side.
As the flames crashed down on him, he was nearly engulfed by the raging inferno. The scorching heat almost burned his skin, and he watched helplessly as the flames grazed past his shoulder.
Just as the flames dissipated, smoke filled the air, and the smell of charcoal permeated the atmosphere. Cedric could barely open his eyes; everything was blurry.
"Oh my god! He almost got burned! Look, everyone! Cedric has to rely on speed and reflexes now!" Lee Jordan continued his commentary urgently, his voice no longer as relaxed and humorous as before.
Behind Cedric, the Swedish short-nosed dragon roared and suddenly flapped its huge wings, creating a strong gust of wind.
The dragon's tail swept across the ground and slammed into a rock, instantly shattering it into pieces.
A flicker of fear flashed in Cedric's eyes as he realized that the dragon's power far exceeded his imagination.
"No!" he cried out inwardly, his heart pounding like thunder in his chest.
His every move seemed a beat too slow, and the dragon behind him had already begun its second attack, its enormous form almost swallowing him whole.
Just then, Cedric gritted his teeth, suddenly looked around, and desperately controlled his breathing. He jumped to the side, using the large rocks on the field to shield himself.
The dragon's flames spewed from its mouth again, and the flames rushed towards him like a torrent. Cedric did not hesitate to dodge around the rocks and barely escaped from the edge of the flames.
What a brilliant "King Qin walks around the pillar"!