After all the contestants had arrived, Dumbledore appeared with the assembled headmasters.
No matter how anxious or scheming the headmasters had been the previous night, they all now wore calm and confident expressions. Each had donned their finest robes and most valuable accessories. At this crucial moment, none of them could afford to lose face.
Their efforts were not in vain. Not long after everyone had gathered, Bagman and Mr. Jamison entered the pitch with several reporters from the Daily Prophet and a group of Ministry of Magic officials.
After taking dozens of photographs, the reporters retreated to a corner with their notebooks. They understood very well who today's protagonists were; they could not afford to steal the spotlight.
As for interviews and exclusive features, they could contact the various headmasters after the competition had begun.
Once the reporters had stepped aside, Mr. Jamison walked to the front of the crowd.
"The First Global Young Wizards Championship is about to begin. I must emphasise once again that this competition carries a high degree of risk. Contestants may even lose their lives. If anyone wishes to withdraw, there is still time."
Not a single contestant spoke.
At this point, who would be willing to withdraw? Would their headmaster look kindly upon them if they quit? And after returning to school, how would they explain themselves to their classmates?
["The competition might kill people, so I withdrew."]
Just imagining themselves saying those words made their scalps tingle.
Even if some of the independent contestants had wanted to back out, they had already quietly handled it the previous night. Who would wait until the opening ceremony to withdraw?
After speaking, Mr. Jamison waited silently for a few seconds. Seeing that no one intended to withdraw, he and Bagman each took a small pouch from their robes and began distributing the contents to the contestants.
The items in the pouches were multifunctional crystal balls provided by Hogwarts. They could be used to broadcast the contestants' experiences, receive various tasks, and communicate with the tournament organisers.
"These crystal balls are equipped with defensive enchantments," Mr. Jamison announced loudly as he handed them out. "Once activated, they will deploy a protective spell for you. This is the life-saving measure we have prepared for all contestants. However, you should be aware that the Ministry has also turned these crystal balls into Portkeys. Once the defensive enchantment is triggered, the Portkey will activate and transport you out of the arena. This means you have been eliminated. Of course, if your teammates complete certain tasks, they may earn an opportunity to allow you to re-enter the competition."
Naturally, these crystal balls were a joint creation of Rowena, Helga, and Rhys. Using the new technology Rhys had previously developed as a foundation, Rowena and Helga had incorporated their own specialised enchantments to create these crystal balls with their complex functions.
When Mr. Jamison reached Rhys, he paused slightly.
Then, with a complicated expression, he took out a crystal ball and placed it into Rhys's hand.
When Mr. Jamison had learned that Rhys Lint was among the contestants, he had been completely stunned. After later discovering Hogwarts' selection process, however, he had come to terms with it: under those circumstances, it would have been more surprising if Lord Slytherin had failed to qualify.
This was also one of the reasons he had allowed Yekaterina to participate. After all, if even this ancestor of theirs was entering the competition on Hogwarts' side, then he certainly wasn't going to stop Koldovstoretz from doing whatever it wanted. It wouldn't make much difference anyway.
Still, Mr. Jamison was somewhat puzzled. He couldn't understand why Lord Slytherin would participate in an event meant for children.
Could it be to ensure that Hogwarts claimed first place?
Mr. Jamison felt that this was entirely possible, and for him, it was undoubtedly very good news.
The title of the world's number one magical school carried a great deal of weight. Other magical schools couldn't handle it; it had to be entrusted to Hogwarts, with its long history and abundant teaching resources.
Besides, both of his daughters would be representing Hogwarts in the competition. With Lord Slytherin participating, there would at least be someone to watch over them.
Surely Lord Slytherin wouldn't stand by and do nothing if the descendants of the Greengrass family found themselves in mortal danger?
Soon, every contestant had received a crystal ball.
"Please follow me."
Mr. Jamison led the enormous group towards the Forbidden Forest.
At this moment, a vast area on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest had been cordoned off. Rowena's magic had completely isolated everything within, to the point that even if someone stood on tiptoe and stretched their neck as far as possible, they still couldn't see what was happening inside the arena.
In fact, several headmasters from other schools had secretly come to investigate the arena the previous night, but no matter what methods they tried, they had failed to gather even the slightest piece of information.
"This is the entrance to the arena."
Mr. Jamison raised his wand and lightly tapped the air in front of him. A gateway appeared out of thin air.
He informed the contestants that stepping through the gateway would transport them into the competition grounds.
The contestants and the visiting headmasters stared in astonishment.
Was this the foundation of a thousand-year-old institution?
This concealment spell alone would have been enough to serve as the cornerstone of an entire magical school.
Godric also stared wide-eyed at the scene before him. A trace of contemplation flashed through his eyes, entirely inconsistent with Gryffindor's usual persona.
This competition arena... was anything but simple.
However, he quickly reverted to his old behaviour and cheerfully said to the wizards around him, who, like him, were serving as guardians for independent contestants:
"Well? This is the foundation of my Hogwarts!"
Naturally, the headmasters of lesser magical schools, the leaders of magical families, and the heads of magical organisations had no intention of contradicting the legendary wizard. The moment "Gryffindor" spoke, they hurriedly echoed his words.
The contestants began entering through the gateway one after another.
To students from other schools, the gateway was unfamiliar and mysterious. To most of the Hogwarts contestants, however, it looked extremely familiar.
Wasn't this just a giant version of the gateway Professor Aries had used during Alchemy lessons?!
Then the students remembered that Professor Aries had also been involved in planning the tournament events, and everything suddenly made sense.
At the same time, they more or less understood what form the competition would take.
As the contestants stepped through the gateway, they vanished from sight.
After all the contestants had entered, Mr. Jamison nodded slightly to the Ministry employees he had brought with him.
They immediately got to work, hanging large screens around the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch.
Judging by their appearance, these were the same screens that had been used during the previous Quidditch World Cup and were now being put to use once again. Spectators outside the arena would be able to observe the contestants' progress through them.
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12 Chaps ahead at Patreon.com/HornyFBI