The audience erupted in astonished exclamations.
Some people from wizarding families, who considered Muggles to be dangerous entities emitting poisonous gases, had never been exposed to Muggle society, let alone watched their TV.
At this moment, seeing the maze images displayed on a massive mirror wall, they felt mesmerized.
Even young wizards of mixed heritage were seeing such a large screen for the first time, especially with images as clear as a reflection in a mirror.
Some even thought the wall had been magically vanished, running to the side of the Flow Mirror to check if there was a hole behind it. Only after seeing dense shrubs and leaves did they reveal shocked expressions.
Although the competition hadn't officially started, the audience's enthusiasm had already been wholly stirred.
Soon, other enlarged Flow Mirrors began featuring images from other parts of the maze, with scenery almost true to life and close enough for the audience to seemingly smell the fragrance of the greenery.
A "hissing" sound came from the Two-Sided Mirror in the center.
The enlarged Ball Python coiled into a mass, resembling a huge conch, with black and white patterned skin and a bitter gourd-like head hidden in the middle of its body.
Those afraid of snakes jumped back in terror, hurriedly retreating several steps, feeling goosebumps all over.
And in the center of the maze, the Ball Python, observing the strange yet daring poppet bird, flicked its tongue.
Having just eaten to its fill, it had no interest in dealing with this insignificant creature.
In the audience's eyes, it looked as though the massive python threatened them, frightening them until their legs nearly gave way.
Then, they heard another sound —
"Is everyone ready? We should set off!"
"Certainly."
On the left side of the mirror appeared several young wizards.
They seemed unaware of the audience's presence, without glancing in their direction, carrying on their conversation.
"Alright. We'll go as we discussed — I'll scout, Betty on alert, Brian and Chad ready to cast spells, Caro will memorize the path, Avery at the rear, Buck—"
The speaker was a tall, handsome boy radiating authority, surrounded by all the other children.
Amos Diggory excitedly proclaimed to those around him:
"That's my son Cedric! See? That's my son! Go for it, Cedric!"
He shouted towards the figure in the mirror and naturally received no response.
Another boy cheerfully said:
"I've got Dungbombs and Bouncy Eggs ready. If enemies appear, I'll throw them first to distract them."
He made a throwing motion with a Dungbomb in hand, with several green, yam-like objects hanging from his waist.
Laughter of good humor resonated from the audience.
"What's a Bouncy Egg?" someone asked.
"Don't you know? It's the Weasley Brothers' new invention, a little thing that bounces around and screams loudly."
Another student replied.
"Most competing teams bought them." Someone added, "They say it helps save essential time."
"... but aren't they participating too?"
"That's why Slytherin teams seldom bought that thing—they're wary the Weasleys might sabotage it."
At that moment, Vid was talking to Aslan Magic Workshop's "technicians."
"It's best to amplify the sound from only one mirror at a time." He said, "Having three talking simultaneously is a bit chaotic."
"That's easy enough."
Said the bearded Coliver, who took out his short wand, pointed it at several mirrors, and the noisy sounds instantly became clear.
Coliver, the primary person in charge at this magic workshop, was shorter than Professor Flitwick, with an iron-brown beard like a tangled mess.
Vid suspected he had goblin or dwarf lineage but refrained from asking out of courtesy.
For easier communication, the group sat cross-legged, their heads tilted upward to view the side of the audience seating.
"Also, no need to film the Ball Python for now, sweep the camera around here..."
Vid drew a boundary, saying:
"Let everyone know the challenges competitors face, then focus on a few competing teams."
"Hmm," said Coliver, "that previous team looked good; I think they could make it to the end."
"Don't just focus on those who succeed."
Vid said, "Leave two mirrors for the losers — watching others' misfortune will equally delight the audience."
Despite the audience seeing only three mirrors, Machioni actually placed over a dozen Mother Mirrors filming inside and outside the maze, with Coliver deciding which scenes to display.
Taking Vid's suggestion, he hesitantly shifted one mirror's focus to a few tense and timid young boys.
They crowded together, nervously holding their magic wands, unaware of a large lizard quietly following them.
The lizard suddenly extended its tongue, sticking to a boy lagging behind, covering him in slime.
"Ah—"
As the boy was dragged backward, he involuntarily let out a scream.
Only then did the others realize the sudden attack, joining in the screaming as another was dragged away, finally remembering to flee.
Someone crashed into a tree trunk, others got stuck between trees due to their weight, and one dizzily dove into a spider's grand web, startling the half-human-height arachnid.
Laughter from the audience came wave after wave, never ceasing, while Cedric's team in the center went ignored.
Coliver gave Vid a thumbs-up, then instinctively grasped the key to popularity.
He reserved the main screen for strong championship contenders, rotating them, while the side screens showcased teams about to be eliminated.
With a "god's perspective" and keen insight, Coliver skillfully chose moments when participants were about to encounter incidents, making the "live broadcast" seem like a meticulously edited video.
He arranged personnel to manage audio switches, preventing scenes with only visuals, thus doubling the audience's enjoyment.
Magic proved advantageous here, requiring neither speakers nor sound engineers, as spells allowed one person to perform ten people's work.
Vid observed the smooth and clear Flow Mirror footage with undistorted sound, even effectively transmitting ambient sounds.
Relieved, he unobtrusively stepped aside.
Coliver, well into broadcasting, gradually became adept, ready to discuss experiences with Vid, only to find the person beside him had vanished.