A Moving Maze That Blocks Shortcuts, a Map Inside the Treasure Chest
June 14th, 5 PM.
Hogwarts teachers, representatives of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, the families of the Champion, and the referees all sat in the stands of the converted Quidditch Pitch.
Professor Flitwick conducted the band with his Wand, playing rousing music, while the girls of Beauxbatons sang cheerful songs, making the entire venue incredibly lively.
Amos Diggory skipped and hopped into the stadium like a little kid, excitedly opening his arms to welcome his son, making Cedric a little embarrassed.
Karkaroff and Maxime each led Krum and Phoebe into the stadium. Jeans respectfully followed behind Aaron, with Harry being the last, flanked by Dumbledore and Lupin.
A ten-foot hedge surrounded the area, revealing several identical entrances. The dark passageways were shrouded in wisps of mist, and the faint sounds of wild beasts howling and roaring could be heard.
"Quiet." Dumbledore stood on the podium and used the Amplification Charm to say, "This morning, Professor Moody hid the Triwizard Tournament trophy in the maze. Whoever finds the trophy first will be the Triwizard Tournament champion."
The order in which they enter the maze is determined by the sum of the numbers of the first two items, in the following order: Aaron Gaius, Harry Potter, Viktor Krum, Cedric Diggory, Phoebe Delacour.
We've arranged for people to patrol the area. If any contestant wants to withdraw from the competition, they only need to use their Wand to shoot a red spark.
"The worst thing is that we won't even have a chance to fire a spark," Aaron said abruptly.
"They might not be able to, but Young Master certainly can," Jeans said shrewdly.
He was extremely confident in Aaron. The countless near-death escapes in the family's Secret Chamber had almost trained Aaron to an instinct. No matter how dangerous this maze was, he wouldn't be unable to send out a distress signal.
"I don't want to quit the competition."
"Contestants, come over here now, please hurry."
The five Champion immediately approached Dumbledore. He lowered his voice and said in a deep tone, "There will be no dragons or deep-sea monsters in the labyrinth, but you will face a greater challenge. People who enter the labyrinth will undergo certain changes..."
"Wait a minute." Aaron interrupted him, looking somewhat awkward, "Professor, you said the change is... Could this maze possibly move?"
Dumbledore nodded. "This was Miss Klein's suggestion. She said her brother has a photographic memory and can find the right and simplest way after just one look."
To be fair, she deliberately enchanted the maze, so that, except for the central spot where the trophy was kept, the other locations would change periodically.
Aaron was dumbfounded, and the other four Champion looked at each other in surprise and a hint of sympathy.
They never expected Aaron to have such a memory, and they certainly didn't expect Adrian to be so adept at it, effectively blocking his brother's shortcut.
"Try your best to find the trophy, but be careful, as you may lose yourself along the way."
"After the cannon fires, Aaron will be the first to go in, and the others will be notified by whistles," Dumbledore said, then turned and headed towards the referee's box.
"Aaron, your sister is really..." Cedric thought for a while but couldn't think of any adjectives, so he just gave her a thumbs up.
"Heh!" A bitter smile appeared on Aaron's lips, and the light in his eyes dimmed by half.
To be honest, he was mentally prepared. Adrian would definitely set obstacles for him in the maze, but it didn't matter. He had memorized the route beforehand, so he could just tough it out no matter how many obstacles there were.
He would have won half the battle if he was the first to find the trophy, but he never expected the first step to be so difficult.
If the maze moves, the advantage of the first two projects combined is only that he avoids a few detours compared to others.
"How about we team up?" Phoebe smiled charmingly. "You'll be the last one to touch the trophy anyway, so why don't you help me win the championship?"
"You'll get half the bonus, so you'll feel more involved."
The other three people's pupils contracted slightly, and they thought to themselves, "Holy crap!"
Girls are so thoughtful; how come they didn't think of this idea?
The moving maze and various dangerous animals make the difficulty of the Third Task self-evident. In this situation, the significance of having a great teammate is self-evident.
"Gaius," Cedric coughed somewhat awkwardly, "I feel it's necessary to remind you that you are Champion of Hogwarts."
Hufflepuff and Slytherin's relationship wasn't too bad, but it wasn't terrible either, right?
Just as Harry was about to say something, he met Aaron Xi Yang's gaze and couldn't help but swallow.
"Don't get me wrong, the championship isn't important. I think we should cooperate on safety."
Although Moody, Lupin, Dumbledore were guarding the maze, he was still somewhat uncertain about this third challenge. Who knew what methods the Death Eater in the shadows would use against him?
If Aaron is willing to help him, then his safety will be guaranteed.
With a bit of luck, he might just be able to compete for the championship, the youngest champion in the top Triwizard Tournament —just thinking about it is exciting.
"Um... I don't want any of the prize money," Krum said somewhat hesitantly. "I also..."
"Dude, you'd better not ask! We're not that close."
"I also saved Luna Lovegood, in the first competition event," Krum emphasized.
Aaron pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and said, "I'll repay the favor. I'll just forget about helping you win the championship."
"Not at all?" Krum frowned slightly.
"I've got a plan. The last one to touch the trophy will also be the champion."
The process will just be much more stimulating, perhaps even stimulating enough to make me question my humanity.
The sound of cannons rang out.
Adrian pressed his Wand against his neck, "Now, please welcome our first Champion to the field."
By the way, just a friendly reminder: to make the game more fun, I've placed many different kinds of treasure chests in the maze.
The treasure chests will help the Champion reach the center of the maze, but whether they can obtain the clues within depends on Champion luck and ability.
Without further ado, best of luck to you all.
Aaron paused for a moment, then walked into the entrance of the maze amidst applause and cheers from the audience.
Adrian smiled slightly, pointed his Wand high into the sky, and five projections appeared outside the maze, allowing all the spectators to enjoy the Champion ' performance.
The competition had just begun, and only Aaron's section of the five projections was lit; the rest were completely dark.
The moment Aaron stepped into the maze, all external sounds were cut off; he could only hear his own breathing and heartbeat.
Following the correct route in his mind, he took a deep breath and began to run at top speed.
Less than half a minute later, the hedges on both sides began to squeeze towards the middle, forcing him to change course and turn into an unknown fork in the road.
Here he saw a wooden treasure chest, and paths leading to the left and right.
"Open it, or don't open it."
Aaron was caught in a dilemma, while the other Champion on the sidelines watched the scene with curiosity.
Adrian said the treasure chest would be helpful; there's no such thing as a free lunch, and the contents of this treasure chest would be of reference value to them.
Just then, a whistle suddenly sounded.
"Harry Potter is here!" Ludo Bagman shouted.
"Ah?"
Harry paused for a moment, looking at Aaron's projection screen with a complicated expression. "Can I come in later?"
"This..." Ludo Bagman hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the other referees, as if asking for their opinions.
"Okay, but you can't go past the last whistle," Adrian said nonchalantly.
"Thanks."
"I suddenly feel that being ranked low isn't so bad," Phoebe said with a smile.
"I think so too."
Cedric nodded, saying that through these projection screens, those in the maze would know more clues and wouldn't be flustered when encountering danger.
When Aaron heard the whistle, he finally made up his mind.
We can't wait any longer. Being first is his only advantage, and we can't let a box hold us back.
"Alohomora!"
Aaron stood ten meters away when a lock-picking spell struck the wooden treasure chest, causing it to open.
A strange hissing sound came from the box, followed by a wet claw reaching out, and a disgusting black-robed monster flew into the air.
"A generous gift of crabs!"
Aaron launched into a tirade of profanities, causing the large audience outside the arena to tremble with fear.
This is a Dementor, a real Dementor. The moment it appeared, the hedges were covered in a layer of white frost.
Harry was stunned, but then he breathed a sigh of relief.
He knows the Patronus Charm, so he can handle a Dementor. If every treasure chest is full of Dementor, it will be easier for him.
"Ahem!" Fudge stood up and explained with Amplification Charm, "Don't worry, everyone. The Dementor won't leave the labyrinth area. They will return to Azkaban after the Triwizard Tournament."
"I hope nothing unexpected happens," Lupin said with some worry.
"No, not at all," Moody said easily. Harry had learned enough spells for him, and Gaius was also in the party.
Lupin nodded. He had also taught Harry the Patronus Charm, but he still felt uneasy.
"Expecto Patronum!" Aaron chanted the Patronus Charm, and a silvery-white light repelled the Dementor into another passageway.
He walked up to the treasure chest, which contained a map of the maze, marking the locations of himself and the Triwizard Cup. He had only covered less than a tenth of the distance so far.
In addition, there is a line of text below the map: The maze will move again within 30 seconds, please hurry.
Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight...
The change in the numbers made Aaron's pupils tremble. He spent fifteen seconds analyzing the correct route to the center, and then sprinted at top speed for the remaining fifteen seconds.