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Chapter 238: A Bustling Gathering
Chapter 238: A Bustling Gathering
As Eddie stepped into the Great Hall from the entrance hall, his attention was immediately drawn to the crowd gathered around a long table. Driven by curiosity, he made his way over to see what they were up to.
"What is everyone doing here?" Eddie whispered to the Ravenclaw student beside him.
"They're attending a gathering of the Wizarding Card Club," the senior Ravenclaw student whispered back. "I heard that this year's champion of the first Wizarding Card Competition will win ten galleons."
"Wizarding Cards? What are those?" Eddie had never heard of them before, so he stepped up on a chair and craned his neck to get a better view. Unfortunately, there were too many onlookers, and he couldn't see what the people in the center were doing.
There was no doubt that the Wizarding Card Club gathering at the end of the month was attracting a lot of attention. Anyone would be curious to see a group of people huddled together, seemingly up to something intriguing.
"It's even more bustling than the last two times!" Fred exclaimed. Across from him, George was introducing the new additions to the Wizarding Cards to the intrigued crowd.
With an ever-growing number of members joining the club, more and more students were eager to get their hands on their own decks. This led to a steady increase in the variety of cards being created.
"Quiet, please! Now is the time for questions!" Albert raised his hand, signaling for everyone to settle down. He then randomly picked someone from the crowd. "What's your question?"
A Ravenclaw girl couldn't contain her curiosity. "When will the official card sets be completely updated? I mean, when will they look like these?" She held up one of the newly acquired Wizarding Cards, which were quite intricately made. For students who had already grown fond of this casual game, having a well-crafted and refined set of cards was important, rather than relying on the crude, self-made cards they had been using.
"Well..." Albert paused, considering his response. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait another year or two. We need to let the technology for creating these cards mature further so that we can produce higher-quality cards. Don't worry, everyone. This card game is still in its early stages, and we are constantly improving it. You should be able to notice that the cards we're using now are much better than the ones from a few months ago, right?"
"When the official Wizarding Cards are released, how can we get our hands on the new decks?" someone asked eagerly. "Will the club provide them for free?"
"We will sell the initial decks and booster packs, or you may obtain them through other means, similar to how you collect Chocolate Frog Cards," Albert explained, aiming to reassure the curious students. "I don't think you need to worry about that just yet. It will be several years before we get to that point. For now, these cards still need a lot of input from all of you to perfect them, and we will continue to add more card elements. We plan to include various magical creatures, magical items, famous historical events from the wizarding world, and exclusive cards for different factions."
"In the future, the factions in the Wizarding Cards won't be limited to the Hogwarts houses," Albert continued. "They will encompass the entire British wizarding community. Of course, this is something that may happen in the distant future, and it's pointless to speculate about it now."
"What about the pricing?" someone else piped up.
"They won't be expensive," Albert assured them. "However, we will create some intricately crafted gold cards that will be limited in quantity. Getting your hands on those rare cards will depend on your luck."
"You there, yes, you." Albert pointed to a freckled boy who had raised his hand. "Go ahead."
The boy swallowed nervously, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze. "I heard that the champion of the Wizarding Card Competition will win ten galleons."
"That's right," Albert confirmed. "The champion will receive either ten galleons or a potion worth ten galleons." As he spoke, he gestured to George, who pulled out a green potion from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Ten galleons for that potion?" Many students were curious about the contents of the glass bottle, wondering what kind of potion could be worth so much.
"This is the Pepper-Up Potion," Albert explained, holding up the bottle for everyone to see. "Some of you may have heard of it. It keeps the drinker's mind alert and active for several hours. Rest assured, I've used it myself, and it's not some dubious concoction. By the way, the Pepper-Up Potion is prohibited during exams, as it would be considered cheating."
"Of course, if you don't trust potions, you can always choose to take the ten galleons," George added, tossing a money bag onto the table and opening it to reveal the shiny coins inside. "The champion has a choice. Now, for this competition, we only have 32 slots available, and the entry fee is two sickles. Even if you don't win, there will be consolation prizes for the first and second runners-up, so you won't lose out."
"Are you two participating in the competition as well?" someone asked.
Albert shook his head. "As the hosts of the Wizarding Card Club, we won't be taking part in the competitions we organize. How could we all have fun together otherwise?"
"If we want to sign up, who do we go to? And aren't 32 slots too few?" another student asked.
"The number of sign-ups has already exceeded 32," Albert replied. "Our suggestion is that you sign up first and then think about it carefully. After the Christmas holidays, we will finalize the list of participants. The competition will take place during the weekends, and opponents will be drawn at random. It will be a best-of-three elimination format. The cards used in the competition will be provided by us. Each of you will be given three Wizarding Cards, and you'll need to choose one of them. This process will continue until you've selected your entire deck. Once chosen, the cards cannot be changed and must be used for the duration of the competition. So, both luck and deck-building skills are crucial." Albert took out three cards and placed them on the table so that everyone could clearly see how the card selection process would work.
"Why can't we use our own decks?" someone complained.
"Because that wouldn't be fair," Albert began, but he was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.
"What are you all doing here?"
Albert looked up to see Professor Smith standing there, looking at them inquisitively.
"I'm introducing everyone to the new Wizarding Cards," Albert replied matter-of-factly, not attempting to hide what they were doing. He then handed the remaining tasks over to Lee Jordan.
"What are Wizarding Cards?" Professor Smith asked, her curiosity piqued.
"It's a game I invented," Albert explained as he handed her a card. "The Wizarding Card Club holds a gathering every month."
"A gathering? Right now?" Professor Smith turned to survey the crowd, noting the large number of students who had gathered. "It seems this game is quite popular."
"Indeed, everyone loves it," Albert agreed without hesitation.
"But why use real people?" Professor Smith asked, her confusion evident. "By the way, is there a card of me?"
"Not yet," Albert replied candidly. "The cards in the Wizarding Card game feature real people and real stories. The inspiration came from the Chocolate Frog Cards."
(End of Chapter)
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