At noon, at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.
Ron craned his neck to look around, then turned to Harry. "They really look like tramps!"
He meant the Exchange Representatives who had taken part in the contest. Exhaustion was written all over their faces.
They also looked half-starved, all of them wolfing down their food.
The only edible things in the Trial Space were some fruits. This had been the first faction contest, and none of them had any experience, so they had not prepared rations beforehand.
The Central Qi Cultivation Academy was the sole exception!
They seemed to have thought of everything. They had not needed to waste any energy looking for food, and apart from looking a little tired, they were in much better shape than everyone else.
Of course, finding food did not take much effort either. They were all wizards, after all. Once they found a single piece of fruit, they could use magic to enlarge it and make more.
Magic could not create something out of nothing, but it could summon things. The Trial Space, however, was completely cut off from the outside world, apparently through some kind of spatial magic, or perhaps because of its own rules.
In short, everyone except the Central Qi Training Academy students had spent the past few days eating the same kind of fruit. It provided energy and filled their stomachs, but the experience had been far from pleasant. In fact, many of them felt like throwing up just thinking about its taste.
"If you'd been shut inside the Trial Battlefield for days, you'd look just like them!" Seamus Finnigan leaned over from beside them.
Ron patted his chest with lingering relief. "I'm really glad I wasn't selected!"
Dean Thomas sighed. "I wish I'd been selected. It must