Ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh.
Viktor Krum hadn't seen the pretty foreign girl since the first match of the semi-finals.
One day, two days, three days...
He didn't see her again until Bulgaria advanced to the quarterfinals.
Being able to sit in the VIP section, and even in the front row, means her identity must be extraordinary.
He looks like he just graduated not long ago; I guess he can't continue to watch games live because of work.
He should have listened to his agent; at least if he knew the name, he could have found out more about it himself.
The world is so big, the chance of meeting her a third time is probably infinitely close to zero.
Let's get our spirits up and focus all our energy on preparing for the finals.
August 14,
The Bulgaria team arrived in the Britain.
They are the favorites to win the championship, but they didn't attract any attention when they went to the Ministry of Magic to register.
However, the Department of Magical Games and Sports, who was in charge of registering them, was exceptionally enthusiastic, probably because he was once an internationally renowned sports star.
The entire Bulgaria team is equipped with the most advanced flying broomsticks Firebolt currently available, and the testing process is quite fast.
Of course, this is in comparison to the consistent efficiency of the British Ministry of Magic.
If it weren't for Bagman's warm hospitality, anyone would be angry to be left waiting from morning until noon.
The relevant documents were finally approved before the Bulgaria team completely lost patience.
However, to ensure the fairness of the final, their Firebolt will be temporarily handed over to the British Ministry of Magic for safekeeping until the final officially begins.
The organizer's request was not unreasonable. In previous years, there have been many examples of teams drastically modifying the performance of their brooms, which ultimately led to serious accidents.
And it's not just targeting them; all teams receive the same treatment.
After leaving the Ministry of Magic, they first found a restaurant to eat something.
The taste of traditional Britain food...
It's not that it's inedible, I'll just have to make do with it.
After they finished eating, Viktor Krum suggested going to check out the competition area, and everyone agreed.
As a professional Quidditch player, you definitely need to familiarize yourself with the playing field beforehand.
Only Ivanova keenly noticed Viktor Krum's unusual behavior.
With three days to go before the final, they arrived in the Britain in the morning. Isn't it a bit too hasty to go to the competition venue right after registering?
Before setting off, she secretly contacted Viktor Krum's agent and learned the reason.
It's good to focus all your energy on the game; at least it greatly reduces the possibility of being distracted by off-field factors.
Using the Portkey provided by the Ministry of Magic, the group successfully reached the final venue in Devon.
For this Quidditch World Cup, the British Ministry of Magic built a brand new open-air stadium near Dartmoor's "National Park," capable of holding 100,000 spectators.
The fact that the British Ministry of Magic could complete such a large project without being detected by Muggle demonstrates a level of capability that is unmatched by some smaller countries.
The Bulgaria team was filled with excitement as they gazed at the magnificent open-air stadium before them.
In three days, they will face the Peruvian team here.
We won and advanced.
We lost; we're in the quarterfinals.
The Bulgaria team's goal is certainly not just to reach the quarterfinals; they want to keep winning and ultimately stand on the champion's podium.
Viktor Krum followed his teammates along the aisle of the stands to the very top of the stadium, looking down at the stage that would ultimately decide the outcome of the game.
He clenched his fist tightly, his eyes full of confidence.
Years of hard training were all for the purpose of successfully standing on this stage and proving whether I have the ability to win the glory that belongs to the champion.
Viktor Krum looked around the arena, then closed his eyes as if to feel the cheers and applause of the fans.
When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with boundless confidence.
Ivanova had been standing quietly to the side, keenly noticed his change.
She paused for a moment, then naturally raised the corners of her mouth.
Looking down at the stadium from above was clearly not enough, so after obtaining permission from the on-site staff, the group went down into the open stadium below.
Scattered in the center of the soft lawn were several alchemical devices, about half a person's height. Judging from the "W" logo printed on them, they should be the Magical Projection used by Wayne Enterprises to enhance the visual effects of the game.
The Bulgaria team watched from afar with expressions of curiosity.
Those large iron blocks that look nothing special can actually project light screens that are tens or even hundreds of meters long.
With proper arrangement and combination, these materials are sufficient to cover the entire field, but the materials on the lawn alone are clearly insufficient to cover the entire open-air stadium.
Just as they were wondering what was going on, two wizards dressed in suits walked in looking anxious.
The two, one tall and one fat, squatted down in front of one of the Magical Projection and carefully disassembled the outer shell.
"No way?" the tall one shouted, looking helplessly at the fat one next to him. "I can't fix this problem. The chairman has to come in person."
The fat man rolled his eyes. "The chairman is at the Ministry of Magic, otherwise we wouldn't have needed to come."
"What do we do then?" the taller one asked as he put the casing back on. "It's been working perfectly fine the whole time, why did it all start malfunctioning so close to the finals?"
He stood up with a worried look on his face and squatted down in front of the next piece of equipment.
He opened the casing and examined it for a few moments. "The same malfunction again? The things the chairman makes shouldn't be this fragile. Do you think it's possible that someone tampered with them?"
The fat man quickly shut up. "Bo Ye, don't talk nonsense. Aren't those old men going to join in developing the Magical Base Station market? How could they possibly dare to tamper with it?"
Bo Ye pouted, "Fanny, all the equipment that malfunctioned was made in China. What a coincidence."
Besides, although my Alchemy aren't as good as the chairman's, I still have a legitimate advanced certificate.
It's quite a coincidence, but it's best to be cautious before making any statements without evidence.
Fanny pulled open his sleeve to reveal Magical Communicator. "Never mind that for now, let's notify the chairman first."
He lightly tapped on one of the portraits on the projection screen.
At the same time, in the Department of Magic Hall,
Vincent was focused on repairing the Magical Projection, received a video call request.
Hermione, who was standing next to him, helped him remove the Magical Communicator and clicked "agree".
Fanny's large face almost filled the entire projection screen. "Uh— Miss Granger? Is the chairman next to you?"
Hermione nodded. "He's still busy. Did you run into trouble over there?"
"Yes, that Bo Ye Boye said he couldn't understand it as soon as he opened the shell, we have to let the chairman..."
Before Fanny could finish speaking, his large face was Bo Ye.
"Miss Granger, don't listen to that fat man's nonsense. The cause of this malfunction is quite complicated. It seems that the chairman needs to come in person."
Hermione glanced at Vincent, "He's busy right now. How about I bring the blueprints over?"
Bo Ye was pushed outside the light screen by Fanny's big head. "That's great. If we still can't fix it even with the design drawings, Bo Ye might as well just work as a gatekeeper with Sassm and the others."
"You fatso, how dare you talk bad about me!"
The light screen shook violently, and soon Bo Ye shoved a fat hand away with her forehead. "Miss Granger, we'll wait for you here at the stadium."
There was another violent tremor, followed by sounds of fighting.
Hermione ended the call, feeling both amused and exasperated.
Compared to the dark wizard gang that used to have a 100% completion rate for Knockturn Alley missions, she definitely prefers this group of goofballs who are always bickering and arguing.