Chapter 255: Quidditch World Cup Part 2
Chapter 255: Quidditch World Cup Part 2 (Requesting Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
As Liam began to seriously analyze the magic embedded in the Goblin Gold Coins, Hermione held her Omnioculars and scanned the surroundings. Suddenly, she muttered to herself, "How did those two manage to pass their Care of Magical Creatures class? It's embarrassing."
Liam heard her and lifted his head, grabbing the telescope to look in the direction Hermione was pointing. He saw Harry and Ron in the Top Box, each holding a handful of goblin gold and grinning foolishly.
Honestly, behaving like that in front of all these important figures in the wizarding world is quite embarrassing. It might be forgivable for the people down below who haven't studied Care of Magical Creatures, but for you two, it's just inexcusable.
Of course, if Ron and Harry were here, they would certainly say, "Who's as crazy as you guys, memorizing the whole textbook as soon as they get it?"
At that moment, Ludo's voice rang out again, "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the Bulgaria National Quidditch Team! Let me introduce you to—Dimitrov!"
As he introduced each player, they took the field one by one. Ludo, despite being a notorious gambler, was doing an excellent job. The atmosphere of the match had already reached a fever pitch, and the crowd roared with each name he announced. Especially when he introduced the Irish Team, half the home advantage made the cheers echo throughout the stadium.
"And our referee today, who has traveled all the way from Egypt, the widely beloved head of the International Quidditch Federation—Hassan Mustafa!" In the final introduction, the referee from Egypt, dressed in a golden robe that immediately brought to mind the vast desert, strode onto the field. He kicked the box, sending all the balls soaring into the air, and the smallest, the Golden Snitch, vanished without a trace. With a blow of his intricate silver whistle, the match began.
Even Liam, who wasn't particularly interested in Quidditch, could see that this was top-tier competition. The athletes' flight speeds far exceeded those of the players at school, leaving trails of red and green in the air.
Ludo's commentary speed skyrocketed, as the Quaffle often changed hands before he could finish a name. A myriad of Quidditch tactics, which Liam had only read about in books, were executed with fluid precision, leaving Ludo struggling to keep up with the names. In comparison, it was clear that the Quidditch at school was just a leisurely game for students during their free time.
Using the telescope, Liam couldn't see the entire field, so he activated his Magic version of Eagle Vision. Sure enough, this allowed him to see both the overall game and the details perfectly.
"Eagle Eye", Liam cast the same spell on Hermione, who was excitedly watching the match. This was a spell Liam had developed by combining his own Eagle Vision with the similarly named spell from Nymph's Magic book. While it was a simplified version of the original Eagle Vision, it had the advantage of being usable on others.
As the faint blue magical light touched Hermione, she felt the magical effect and asked in surprise, "Is this the Eagle Eye from that book? You can use it already?"
"Yeah, what do you think?" Liam didn't mention that he had combined it with his own Eagle Eye.
"It's pretty good. I can see the game much more clearly now. This spell is quite convenient, but I haven't learned this part yet." Hermione then raised her hands in joy, as the Irish Team scored the first goal of the match.
After a thorough look at the players on the field, Liam concluded that the Irish Team's Chasers were well-trained and their coordination was exquisite. Sure enough, within just ten minutes, the Irish Team had scored three goals, changing the score to 30-0, which elicited thunderous cheers from the supporters in green.
Soon after, the Bulgaria team launched an attack and scored a goal. Then the Veela emerged and began their mental interference. Taking advantage of this distraction, the two Seekers—Krum and Lynch—quickly descended among the other players.
"Good heavens, this is almost like a Leap of Faith", Liam exclaimed, watching the players fall faster than free-fall. "There's no hay stack down there; they are true warriors."
It turned out to be a feint by Krum, and Lynch, deceived, crashed to the ground. Fortunately, after a quick check, he was still able to continue playing.
The next 25 minutes were the most intense Liam had ever seen, with the score rapidly widening to 130-10. This made the Bulgaria team desperate, and they began to resort to unsportsmanlike conduct, directly attacking the players. They elbowed the Irish team's Keeper and then charged at the Chasers with the Quaffle.
Naturally, this resulted in two penalty shots for the Irish team, further widening the score. The Bulgaria team's mascots, the Veela and the Mocking Goblins, started fighting. The Veela transformed into bird-headed, winged humanoids and began hurling Flame-like objects at the goblins. Members of the Ministry of Magic rushed onto the field to try and separate them, but their efforts seemed futile.
"This is getting intense!" Liam thought, feeling that the battle on the ground was just as fierce as the match in the sky. Magic creatures, he mused, had unique qualities in many ways. While the Veela, with their human intelligence and magical abilities, might have a limited range of spells, their combat effectiveness, if not countered, was roughly equivalent to that of a wizard with basic training.
Of course, this assessment might not be accurate, as the specific combat capabilities of British Ministry of Magic staff were always a mystery. The few staff members being chased by the Veela might not represent the overall level of the Ministry.
The players on the field were also affected by the chaos, becoming even more agitated. Krum was hit directly in the face by a Bludger, blood streaming down his face, while the referee, whose broomstick tail had been set on fire by the Veela, was too preoccupied to pay attention to anything else.
Finally, Lynch spotted the Golden Snitch first, but Krum, with superior skill, caught the Bludger.
"The Irish team wins!" Bagman, a supporter of the Irish team, called out, seemingly bewildered by the sudden end of the match. "Krum caught the Golden Snitch—yet the Irish team wins—goodness, I don't think anyone expected this outcome!"
"Truly an incredible and thrilling match", Hermione said as she sat back in her seat. "What do you think?"
"Absolutely. Both in terms of skill and strategy", Liam replied. "For instance, Krum's decision to cut his losses when he realized he couldn't catch up was a decisive move that most people wouldn't have the courage to make."
"Sounds like you're quite impressed with Krum?"
"Indeed. Leading a team that is overall weaker than Ireland to the finals is already impressive. In such a situation, the only chance for the Bulgaria team was a quick victory, catching the Golden Snitch before the Irish team scored 150 points. Unfortunately, he had bad luck and couldn't find the Snitch within the planned time. Once he realized the situation was unfavorable, he made the smart decision to abandon the elusive hope and end the game with a more respectable score. Such a clever person is definitely worthy of admiration." Liam seriously analyzed Krum's standout performance in the match.
At this moment, Fudge received the Trophy from two Wizards and presented it to the Bulgaria team, who received cheers even as they made their way to the Top Box. The cheers grew even louder when Krum's name was called, filling the stadium with thunderous applause.
Then, the Irish team also entered the Top Box to receive the Trophy. As they lifted it high and circled the field, the match came to an end.
(End of Chapter)
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