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Chapter 438: Adventure at the Bottom of the Lake (Part 1)
Chapter 438: Adventure at the Bottom of the Lake (Part 1)
"Oh, look, the two ladies found their wands first. This might be because their wands are quite distinctive—yes, I see the engravings. I hope they quickly notice the watches on their wrists..."
A wave of exclamations rippled through the audience. When Collins awoke, she was not disturbed by any glowfish or a crab out foraging. Her first action was to lock onto the fir wand standing as tall as she was. Her hand brushed over its surface, and the wand tip emitted a couple of sparks, causing Collins to gasp sharply.
"Harry is lagging behind; he hasn't found his wand yet", Seamus said anxiously.
"Anyone would be stunned upon waking up to see a monster fish that could swallow them whole", Dean said, suddenly laughing. "Look at his face, he's found it!"
...
Harry raised his arms and stared at the watch that had appeared on his wrist. He guessed the professors must have put it on while he was asleep. The watch face had no time, only a dull, lifeless golden hue.
Despite the seriousness of the moment, an absurd image flashed through his mind: Professor Hep strolling through the Black Lake, carrying a basket of groceries, looking around with interest. Then, he would find a clear spot, rummage through the basket, and place the half-foot-tall Harry (his head tilted to one side, unconscious) on the ground, planting his wand in the soil beside him. With a wave of the professor's hand, a protective shield would appear...
Harry shook his head, dispelling the unrealistic fantasy. At that moment, a voice in his mind suddenly spoke, telling him that the Black Lake was filled with various "trials." The purple trial required him to fight and, upon victory, would grant him items necessary for survival in the Black Lake. The blue trial required him to use his intellect, and upon success, would grant him valuable information.
As for the golden, it represented a gem that could break the "curse" binding his current height. Collecting more gems might lead to further growth, Harry speculated. Only when he fully returned to his original form could the watch's function be activated, allowing him to see the other two members of his group.
Harry pieced together the clues provided by the golden egg, and everything suddenly became clear.
"Hurry, danger lurks everywhere; weigh your options carefully, for choices are inevitable." Harry whispered, repeating the only two phrases that didn't point to specific information but rather offered broad advice, something Hermione had often pondered.
She believed they needed to solve a puzzle or make the best choice for themselves. "Maybe each person faces a different challenge", she had worriedly said. Ron, on the other hand, speculated that it was similar to the giant wizard chess puzzle they encountered in their first year. "We might have to sacrifice one or two people", he said meaningfully.
Now, it seemed Hermione's guess was closer to the truth, Harry thought.
Given the limited time, finding the golden gems was undoubtedly the most valuable task, as it directly determined whether he could pass the trial. The other two trials provided means for the warriors to survive in the dangerous Black Lake, especially at the beginning when they were very weak.
Harry knew the protective shield in front of him could only last for an hour, so he had to act quickly.
He racked his brain, wand, wand... He stared irritably at the wooden stick that towered half a head above him. How was he supposed to move with this thing?
Harry moved closer, grateful he hadn't woken up in the cold lake water. He placed his palm on the wand, and a sense of connection washed over him. "Thank goodness you still recognize me", Harry thought, feeling a surge of hope. "I hope everything goes smoothly from here."
He took a deep breath, ignoring the glowfish that continued to bump against the shield, though their attacks had noticeably slowed. Harry focused on channeling his magic.
He felt his magic was extremely sluggish, constantly influenced by a force he knew was the "curse" mentioned in the clue. "What curse... I guess it's the effect of the professor's magic", Harry muttered.
He adjusted his state, and learning Occlumency had helped in one way: maintaining calm was now much easier.
"Armor Shield", he whispered, the tip of the holly wand flickering with a faint light before disappearing.
Harry was barely affected by the failure and began his second attempt, "Armor Shield—no, it's not working—Armor Shield—Armor Shield—Armor Shield—" After several more tries, he finally succeeded, and a transparent magical barrier appeared in front of him.
"Next, I need to mold it", Harry said to himself. Under his control, the Shield Charm enveloped his body, and he felt as if he had collided with an invisible wall. His nose and eyes pressed tightly against it, even flattening his nose.
The projection screen on the shore faithfully recorded this scene—
Ludo Bagman's voice sounded a bit awkward, "Our youngest warrior has successfully cast the Shield Charm, which is a remarkable achievement—though I'm not quite sure what he intends by pressing his face against it... However, he is the third warrior to successfully communicate with their wand. According to our safety officers, in this state, they can only manage their most proficient spells."
"Look! The warriors of Wagadu have taken the lead in this competition. Their casting gestures are quite impressive! Is it some kind of animal transformation? I'm not sure—apart from the gills on their cheeks, they don't seem to have changed much... Oh my, what am I seeing? Two Wagadu warriors have abandoned their wands. Is that a violation? Please let the other judges discuss this—another Wagadu warrior is carrying his wand, but the weight seems insignificant to him. They have already started searching Black Lake, and they are the fastest group. Potter, on the other hand, is still fiddling with his deformed Shield Charm. Is he trying to suffocate himself?"
Laughter erupted from the stands. Harry's performance was clearly more entertaining. After watching for a while, they began to understand his intention. "He seems to be trying to wrap himself in a Shield Charm", Bagman said, realizing it a bit late.
"That's a Human-Form Armoring Charm, an advanced variation of the Shield Charm. However, it seems Potter's mastery of this spell is not as proficient as Granger's", a member of the Rune Club, who was quite knowledgeable, said from the stands. "She has already stepped out of the protective shield."
In Black Lake, Hermione was breathing heavily. She dared not stray too far from her wand, and with the protective shield, it was like having a fixed location and a safe room. She struggled to maintain the Human-Form Armoring Charm and cautiously explored the area around the shield. Finally, she saw a blue glow under a patch of black seaweed—hidden among a cluster of shells.
A wave of joy surged through her. She swam quickly through the lake, shivering from the cold. Due to the "curse" on her, using magic was very difficult. The Warming Charm and Water-Repelling Charm, which she thought she had mastered, suddenly became unusable. She estimated that she would need to obtain one or two golden gems before her condition improved.
Hermione swam through the deep waters, her bushy hair trailing behind her. She frequently turned to look at the distant, hazy glow, the location of her protective shield, which contained her wand. If she lost her way, she would be in trouble; she didn't want to become a hostage waiting to be rescued.
As she got closer, the seaweed, like black ribbons, swayed freely in the water, each strand stretching three to four feet long, creating a vast underwater forest. Hermione hid behind a pebble, peering out. Her face lit up as she saw a blue, shell-like structure and, a short distance away, a golden gem lying quietly on the sandy ground.
"Too lucky!" Hermione thought happily. Suddenly, a black shadow approached silently, and Hermione was knocked away, landing on the sandy bottom. Fortunately, the Human-Form Armoring Charm protected her, and she only experienced the residual impact. However—
Hermione blinked, watching the black salmon swim away, its tail flicking. It seemed to be drawn to the blue shell-like structure, trying to get closer but unable to enter.
She quickly made up her mind. Hermione moved along the shadows of the lake bottom rocks. On the way, she picked up a broken piece of seaweed for cover. As she got closer to her target, she saw the salmon charging at her.
Hermione barely dodged, rolling twice in the water. The Human-Form Armoring Charm did its job well, but she wasn't sure how many more hits it could withstand without being torn apart.
The black salmon's tail flicked again, and it charged at her with renewed fury. At that moment, a faint white light gathered in Hermione's hand, with Runic Script symbols faintly visible.
She widened her eyes, trying to see the salmon's movements more clearly, and the white light in her hand grew brighter. She nervously muttered, "I have an advantage. Even if I can't use Ancient Magic, I still know a few single-target Runic Scripts. They are like simple spells..."
"Bang!"
The glowing fist struck the salmon's head, and its belly immediately flipped white, floating away with the current—Hermione's Buffalo Strength Runic Script had knocked it out cold.
"Excellent", Hermione said with delight, thinking she would have needed a few more tries to succeed.
She didn't bother to watch the salmon float in the water and quickly swam to the back of the blue shell-like structure, staring at the golden gem. It was as big as her head. She lightly touched it with her wristwatch hand, and the dim golden face of the watch lit up. Then, the gem on the ground seemed to melt, merging into the watch, and the dim golden face of the watch brightened slightly.
"Hmm? There's a progress indicator? It's a bit like the coin Harry used to practice Apparition, oh, it now belongs to Valen." Hermione thought happily, turning to enter the blue structure to face the trial.
(End of Chapter)
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