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Bi Youlong knew most of the people at the table, and most of them had also heard of Zhang Zhiwei's name. Everyone was curious about what this man who was as famous as Dumbledore was like. Some were curious, some were wary, and some were scheming against him.
A variety of emotions converged on his face, eventually blending into a harmonious atmosphere and the conversation went smoothly.
Bi Youlong sat together with Tianshi and the professors, while Hu Xiuwu, Zhang Lingyu and the people from Nadoutong had to squeeze in with the students.
The girls from Beauxbatons went to Ravenclaw, and the students from Durmstrang naturally got together with Slytherin, leaving only Gryffindor and Hufflepuff with room.
Is there any need to think about it?
Hufflepuff, of course.
Why? Because the Hufflepuff students actually waved the special food from England and invited them.
It was such a sincere gesture! Hu Xiuwu was so moved that he sat down on the Hufflepuff side.
After everyone was seated, Dumbledore's loud voice echoed in the hall again:
"Now that all the friends have arrived, let Mr. Barty Crouch from the Department of International Magical Cooperation of the Ministry of Magic explain to you the selection and competition rules of the Goblet of Fire."
Barty Crouch stood up and walked to Dumbledore to explain the new rules of the Goblet of Fire to the students. At this time, the students were surprisingly quiet and listened more attentively than in class.
But unfortunately, his first sentence poured cold water on the eager students:
"The Goblet of Fire Tournament is extremely dangerous. In order to ensure safety during the competition, the Ministry of Magic has decided that only students over the age of seventeen can participate in the Goblet of Fire selection."
"unfair!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the students who were not yet eighteen years old became excited. You have to know that in Hogwarts, only sixth grade students are seventeen years old. This means that at least 80% of the students cannot even participate in the selection. Naturally, they are unhappy with this arrangement.
Chapter 240 Goblet of Fire
The ones who were most dissatisfied with this matter were the fifth and fourth graders who were approaching their seventeenth year. They really did not want to miss this event. The first and second graders actually did not care about it. They did not dare to participate in the Goblet of Fire, but at this time they joined in the fun and shouted and vented their emotions along with the fifth and fourth graders.
There were also students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang who had known about this for a long time and joined in the shouting to watch the fun.
The hall was filled with the students' dissatisfied shouts, which drowned out Barty Crouch's voice. Gryffindor was especially incensed by the leadership of their spiritual leader, the Weasley twin brothers, the king of pranks.
For a moment, it seemed as if the students of Hogwarts were trying to overthrow Dumbledore's tyranny, liberate Hogwarts, and gain freedom.
"Quiet!"
Facing the noisy scene, Barty Crouch not only did not back down, but waved his wand angrily:
A violent flame spurted out from the tip of the staff and condensed in the air into a huge flaming griffin, with its eyes wide open and its hair standing on end!
The flaming griffin flapped its wings in anger and flew towards the students, passing over their heads to let them experience the feeling of having their scalps burned by the flames, but it was prudent enough not to actually hurt them.
The Weasley twins, who were too jumpy and eye-catching, had their hair burned and were severely punished by Barty Crouch.
How could Barty Crouch, former Director of the Ministry's Department of Magical Enforcement and candidate for the next Minister of Magic, be frightened by a group of students?
After the fire griffin circled the field, almost all the students were scared and lay down under the table. Only Hu Xiuwu and Zhang Lingyu could cast spells without using wands and had the ability to resist the flames, so they could still sit in their seats safely.
After all the students stopped making noise, Barty Crouch cancelled the magic, and the Flame Griffin disappeared in mid-air like fireworks. Then, facing the calmed-down students, he spoke in a loud and cold voice:
"The Goblet of Fire is very dangerous. There have been many contestants who have died in the competition. That is why the Ministry of Magic does not allow young wizards under the age of seventeen who are not yet proficient in spells to participate."
"I would rather you not understand the truth for a while than see you rush to death recklessly and ignorantly."
The lower grade students were all frightened by Barty Crouch. Weasley, who took the lead, was still helping each other to put out the fire on each other's hair. The classmates then became as quiet as quails.
Barty Crouch nodded with satisfaction and continued what he had just been interrupted:
"The Goblet of Fire will be divided into three events, and the judges will score you based on your performance in each event. The person with the highest score will hold the trophy."
As Barty Crouch spoke, he showed a trophy with two dragons on the ears made of crystal and gold by the Ministry of Magic. It was not a magical weapon and was not precious, but it symbolized glory.
"The judges of the Goblet of Fire will be respected and wise men. The members of the judging panel include Mr. Spencer, the president of the Emerald Society, and Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts."
Speaking of Spencer, no one reacted. But as soon as Dumbledore was mentioned, the students of Hogwarts started cheering and clapping their tables for their headmaster. This is what is called the home advantage in the game.
After the students’ enthusiasm died down, Barty Crouch continued:
"There is also Zhang Zhiwei, the Heavenly Master of the Eastern Heavenly Master's Mansion."
The scene was a little cold, with only Hu Xiuwu and Zhang Lingyu showing their support. There was no way that at Hogwarts, except for the professors, the students had never heard of Zhang Zhiwei's name.
"And the headmistress of Beauxbatons School of Magic, Madam Olympe Maxime."
Madame Maxime beckoned, and the girls from Beauxbatons screamed for their headmistress.
"Mr. Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang School of Wizardry."
"And Barty Crouch of the Ministry of Magic, that is, I, will be the final judge."
There were sporadic laughter from the students below the podium. Barty Crouch's little joke at the end actually made the students look at him with a new light, and they felt that he was not as scary as before.
Now, in the students' perception, Barty Crouch is scarier than Professor McGonagall, but kinder than Snape. At least Snape doesn't tell jokes.
After Barty Crouch finished his introduction, Dumbledore tapped the golden tower with his wand, and the gold and gems on the outside of the golden tower melted like hot chocolate, revealing the Goblet of Fire made by Merlin himself hidden inside.
Although the Goblet of Fire was a little far away, separated by almost the entire auditorium, Hu Xiuwu was still able to take in the entire situation of the Goblet of Fire with his excellent eyesight.
The overall appearance of the Goblet of Fire looks like a goblet used by giants, but it is crudely made, and even the outer wall of the cup is not polished clean. It does not match its extraordinary material and glorious background at all.
When the Goblet of Fire was completely exposed to the outside world, a ball of faint blue flame rose from the Goblet of Fire, like a small blue sun, floating above the Goblet of Fire.
The wooden cup holds the fire,
The Western alien predecessors were also very good at playing. The dark blue flames were full of mystery. As an expert in playing with fire, Hu Xiuwu seemed to smell a hint of great will from it.
It is vast and sacred, untainted by dust, and seems to carry a hint of divinity, like God's gaze cast upon the world, searching for truly righteous people among the mortals.
Hu Xiuwu was still trying to explore the deeper secrets of the Goblet of Fire, when he saw Dumbledore standing in front of the Goblet of Fire. He waved his hand and drew a dark blue age circle around the Goblet of Fire, locking the Goblet of Fire within the circle. Only people over the age of seventeen could cross this circle.
"Those who wish to participate in the Goblet of Fire can throw their names into the fire before Thursday night, and the Goblet of Fire will select warriors who meet the requirements."
"But!" Dumbledore raised his voice again, still wanting to remind the students, "Once you are chosen, it cannot be changed. You will fight alone until the end, so please think carefully and don't try to be a hero."
"Okay, let's start the dinner!"
Dumbledore shouted, and water and food began to appear on the long table.
First there was the freshman division, then there was the cultural performance between the Eastern and Western schools, and then I heard about the Goblet of Fire Championship. I was so excited for a long time that I was already starving.
The children began to devour the food. Hufflepuff was the house that loved eating, so the table was filled with not only food provided by the school kitchen, but also special food contributed by individual students.
The candy store's specialty candies include sizzling honey candies and apple pie, and I can tell you that it has the best roast turkey there.
It really opened the eyes of Hu Xiuwu and Zhang Lingyu.
Hu Xiuwu also took out the food he had stored from Luo Fengtian in case of emergency.
As a gourmet, even dry food is a rare delicacy, such as Jinhua ham, Sijiucheng roast duck, grassland dried meat, and various kinds of dried fruits, all of which are delicious foods with a long shelf life.
He even took out a charcoal grill from Luo Fengtian and grilled the sacs from the northwest for others on the spot, then coated them with thick meat sauce. It was well received, and the Hufflepuff students also curiously asked Hu Xiuwu about the situation in the east.
It mainly focuses on oriental eating utensils, cooking methods, and special foods.
Even though Zhang Lingyu didn't understand English, she felt very comfortable in such a simple and warm atmosphere.
After eating and drinking, the students left one after another and returned to the lounges of their respective colleges to rest. The students from Durmstrang returned to the school ship, and the girls from Beauxbatons returned to their carriages.
After politely declining Hufflepuff's invitation, Hu Xiuwu and Zhang Lingyu followed Tianshi and Bi Youlong back to the guest room prepared for them at Hogwarts.
Chapter 241 Library
"Let me see. In the morning we have Charms and History of Magic, and in the afternoon we have Transfiguration and Divination?"
Hu Xiuwu read the schedule in his hand, thinking about today's schedule.
This schedule was brought by the house-elf who suddenly flashed into the room this morning.
This poor little guy was discovered by Hu Xiuwu and Zhang Zhiwei as soon as he showed up. Facing the unknown creature that could flash, the Taoist priest raised his hand and shot a stream of lightning into its body. The huge and fierce lightning power seemed to cling to its meridians like asphalt, making it unable to cast spells anymore.
When Hu Xiuwu left the room, the house-elf was already trembling with fear at the Taoist priest, covering his face and saying "I'm sorry" in English.
After Hu Xiuwu's translation, the Taoist priest realized that this was a misunderstanding. This brown-skinned dwarf with big ears and big eyes that took up half of his face was a servant of Hogwarts.
When they first met, Hu Xiuwu expressed his longing for learning magic at Hogwarts, so Professor McGonagall asked the house-elf to bring him this year's class schedule.
After clarifying the misunderstanding, the Taoist priest dispelled the thunder in the house-elf's body and squatted down to apologize to him. However, he did not expect that this small gesture would make the house-elf flattered. He repeatedly banged his head on the ground and said that he did not deserve this apology.
After the war, Tianshi rarely saw such a morbid mentality of self-esteem, but it was not that he had never seen it before. However, his expression reminded Tianshi of some sad past events. He sighed and said in a tough tone:
"Okay, I get it, you can leave now."
Yesterday's banquet did make Zhang Lingyu feel more favorable towards Hogwarts, but what this house-elf reflected made Zhang Lingyu's favorable impression towards Hogwarts decrease suddenly:
"This kind of dregs still exists in the West, and they still have the nerve to call themselves civilized people."
In any case, people in the East can hold their heads high and be treated as PUA by others sometimes, but this is always something from the gutter and cannot be put on the table. No one takes it for granted or as a gift from others.
Bi Youlong knew a little about this matter: "It is said that these creatures, called house-elves, were once enemies of humans, but were later defeated by the people of the Forest Kingdom and enslaved into slaves."
"Later, even after the Forest Kingdom left, the remaining people seemed to have forgotten about it. No one abolished this system. They still enjoyed the service of the house-elves and regarded it as an honor."
Zhang Lingyu was very disgusted with this matter: "So the Westerners drove away the Forest Country not for the so-called peace and equality, but just because they hated themselves for not being the one who enjoyed the glory and treatment?"
“Some are, some aren’t.”
Bi Youlong stood aside with a cold face and did not comment on this, because Hu Xiuwu was telling the truth. He said to Zhang Lingyu:
"This is not something you can control right now. We are still outsiders to the British. If you take action without reason, the British will only think that you are interfering in their internal affairs.
What you need to do now is to prepare for the competition. You heard what Dumbledore said yesterday. I'm afraid this competition won't be that easy."
"Yes."
Even Bi Youlong would say this, Zhang Lingyu could only say this with a little discouragement.
Bi Youlong understood Zhang Lingyu's thoughts very well. As a young man who had just entered society, he still had a scholarly spirit as bright as the rising sun and could not stand all the injustices in the world.
But there is nothing wrong with this. Young people should have the vigor and vigor of youth. Should they be like mature people in society and turn a blind eye to these things and watch them from the sidelines?
If you fail to help someone who needs help, and always feel guilty afterwards, this is a good thing. It is better than being eaten away by guilt and becoming numb.
But next time, I hope you can help out to the best of your ability.
The sun is rising, the day has just begun, why be so depressed?
Hu Xiuwu took Zhang Lingyu in his arms and said, "Would you like to go with me to the library? I heard that the library at Hogwarts is the most comprehensive in the whole of England, and it has everything."
After looking at today's class schedule, Hu Xiuwu decided to skip the morning class.