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The moment Bagman finished speaking, the spectators went through an extremely brief silence before thunderous arguments erupted.
What did it mean that he would complete the challenge alone?
Those were four dragons.
Apart from the Common Welsh Green, the other three could strictly be counted as fighting dragons.
An ordinary adult wizard who encountered even one dragon alone would flee in panic. An underage wizard facing four at once? Even if he was the most outstanding student, it should still be impossible.
Dudley's decision to challenge four dragons at once caused an uproar.
Even if the Triwizard Tournament had a high death rate, that did not mean they wanted to watch a young wizard walk to his death. They had come for excitement, not a bloody slaughter.
Were they supposed to watch a young wizard be torn apart and eaten by four dragons?
The spectators felt the arrangement was far too outrageous and began condemning the Ministry's decision.
Seeing public opinion grow fiercer and the spectators becoming more emotional, Bagman hurriedly added,
"Of course, if our champion Dursley feels he cannot continue, he only needs to loudly announce his withdrawal. Professional dragon handlers will rescue him at once."
After much effort, he finally calmed the spectators down.
Now he could only hope that those Romanian dragon-handling experts were as reliable as they claimed.
"His task is to obtain the golden egg from the four dragons. There is no time limit. It will continue until he wins or fails."
While Bagman spoke, Dudley had already walked out of the tent.
Deafening cheers erupted from the stands. A sea of people surged with excitement. Whether they knew him or not, every wizard present was watching Dudley, watching this Hogwarts champion who intended to challenge four dragons by himself.
The competition field was a rocky valley-like area, clearly shaped by magic. The walls around it rose high into the sky, and the spectators' seats were built along those walls.
The four dragons were positioned in the four directions of the arena.
After all, apart from the Common Welsh Green, the other three were aggressive and fond of fighting. If they were placed together, Dudley would not need to do anything; they would start fighting by themselves. The Ministry had no ability to make four different species of dragon sit peacefully together.
"Which dragon do you think he will choose?"
"Shh, stop talking. He is moving!"
Dudley swept his eyes over the positions of the four dragons. Under countless gazes, he slowly moved.
His first target:
The Common Welsh Green.
This decision was not especially surprising. Everyone knew that the Common Welsh Green was the mildest of the four dragons.
The Welsh Green lay there with its head raised, watching Dudley warily. It did not attack first, even though Dudley had already entered the range it could reach.
To ensure that the dragons could not attack the spectators, the Ministry had fastened a thick iron chain around each of their necks.
The Common Welsh Green's reputation was that it disliked trouble and did not attack people on its own.
Of course, that was not absolute.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them recorded the Ilfracombe Incident, one of the most famous Welsh Green attacks on humans in the nineteenth century. A playful Common Welsh Green had attacked a group of sunbathers in Ilfracombe, Devon.
Less than three meters from the Common Welsh Green, Dudley stopped.
He still made no other movement. He did not draw his wand.
"What is he doing?"
That distance was already extremely dangerous. No one could guarantee that the Common Welsh Green would not suddenly decide to breathe fire at him.
Dragon fire was not as dangerous as Fiendfyre, but it was not comparable to ordinary flame either. Some dragons' flames were even poisonous.
At that moment, the spectators held their breath, waiting for Dudley's next move and the Welsh Green's reaction.
What magic would one use against a dragon?
Dudley's next action completely exceeded the spectators' expectations.
"Wait... is he speaking?"
"What did he say?"
"It is too far away. I cannot hear clearly."
"Is he communicating with the Welsh Green?"
"Do not be ridiculous. Dragons may be more intelligent than ordinary beasts and may understand a little human speech, but there is no way to communicate with them properly. Otherwise, dragon handlers would not exist."
The reason dragons were XXXXX-class creatures was that they were extremely aggressive toward humans and very powerful. In their eyes, humans and livestock occupied much the same position on the menu.
"If a ham stood in front of you and told you to obey it, what would you do?"
Probably ignore it when full and eat it in one bite when hungry.
However, the next scene made that spectator close his mouth.
After roaring several times at Dudley, the Common Welsh Green actually lowered its emerald head toward him.
What was happening?
The minds of those spectators who knew a little about dragons nearly stopped working.
A dragon lowering its head to a human?
Only a dragon tamed by a highly skilled wizard might do such a thing.
And leaving aside the fact that this practice had largely been lost, what had Dursley just done?
He had merely said a few words to the Common Welsh Green. He had not even drawn his wand.
Was that some lost method?
Or wandless magic?
While the spectators were still baffled, Dudley moved again.
"Merlin, he is removing the Green's neck chain!"
Yes.
Dudley walked straight up to the Common Welsh Green, not at all worried that it would attack him midway, then broke the chain around its neck and removed the restraint.
"Roar!"
With its neck much lighter, the Common Welsh Green happily shook its head several times and let out a joyful roar. It raised its head and breathed a stream of flame mixed with faint green light from between its thin upper and lower jaws.
That action immediately drew cries of alarm from the spectators.
Compared with the rough roar of some dragons, the Common Welsh Green's call was surprisingly beautiful.
Dudley gently stroked the Welsh Green's neck. The dragon narrowed its eyes and revealed an expression of comfort.
Then he did something even more astonishing.
He climbed onto the Common Welsh Green's back.
"He rode the dragon! He rode the dragon!"
Some spectators cried out in excitement, as if they were the ones riding it.
Immediately afterward, the Common Welsh Green spread its enormous bat-like wings and flapped them several times, about to soar into the sky.
Then its body paused.
It remained where it was.
The Welsh Green tried several more times, but still failed to take off. It turned its long, snake-like neck and looked pitifully at Dudley.
"..."
Looking into those pitiful dragon eyes, Dudley sighed deeply and silently climbed down from the Welsh Green.
"What happened? It seems the Welsh Green cannot fly with Dursley on it."
"I remember that a Common Welsh Green can carry several hundred pounds into the air, right?"
"Perhaps the Ministry kept this Welsh Green confined for too long, so it temporarily cannot fly."
"That makes sense."
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