Chapter 224

When it came to group-assisted rituals, Harry immediately thought of the Thirsk Arcane Society. Indeed, that energy-infusion ritual had originally been modified by Donald for Cui Ge's use.

"So you mean we need others to participate in the energy-infusion ritual?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Clever boy," Donald nodded. "I've designed a highly effective spell for you, but its cost is enormous—it requires external assistance."

Harry frowned. This was another form of cheating. He didn't want his friends helping him cheat in the Triwizard Tournament; it made him feel terrible.

"If that's the case, I'll stick with your 'absolutely reliable' people," Harry said. "The Seven Sins worked perfectly—I trust you."

"Yes, you must believe I'm helping you," Donald glanced around. "If anything seems strange to you, don't doubt it—it's part of the plan."

People always used "part of the plan" to hide things outside the plan. Harry was used to it by now.

"Alright, let me explain the exact procedure," Donald continued. "You start from the shore, facing directly toward the center of the lake—remember, exactly centered. Then loudly recite the Ten Commandments of Moses. Have you read the Bible?"

"You didn't just invent a spell to split a river, did you?" Harry exclaimed. He was awed by how imaginative these foreign wizards could be.

"Exactly. It's not hard—just tweak the Drainage Spell and combine it with an Obstruction Spell. I'll turn it into a ritual, but the challenge is remotely linking you to the ritual participants so they can serve as your output terminals," Donald began slipping in modern Muggle jargon. "So you'll need to match communication ports, set encryption keys, verify protocol and physical addresses. Sounds complicated? It's just connecting to a WiFi."

"What's that?" Harry was completely lost from the second half onward.

"It's Microsoft's latest tech—slightly modified, it can be adapted to our ritual magic. A shortcut," Donald sounded proud. "Just remember: reciting the Ten Commandments is for port matching and address verification. After that, you'll input the encryption key—but you don't need to shout it aloud."

"Encryption key?"

"Fourteen phrases. I wrote them on a note—better memorize it." Donald shoved a piece of paper into his hand, then gave a strange smile.

Harry unfolded the folded paper and glanced at it. "Spiral staircase, unicorn, Ruin Street? Fig tree… Tower? What even is this? Can't you make it simpler?"

"Oh, you don't like it?" Donald looked disappointed. "I'll redesign something simpler for you. I'll give it to you in a few days."

Harry stared at the note, his lips moved slightly, then he sighed. "Alright, that's a real hassle for you."

"Good. Now the second task is secured. I'm still unsure where the third task will be, but no need to rush—take it one step at a time." Donald patted his shoulder. "Now, it's time to go back to bed."

Harry politely bid him farewell, then walked toward the castle, lost in thought. Donald's plan was effective, but always overly flamboyant. If possible, he didn't want to stage Moses parting the sea in front of everyone—it was too showy. Yet Renata demanded he stay on shore for fifteen minutes, leaving him no choice.

Donald's scheme conveniently solved the fifteen-minute requirement: Harry could simply pretend to chant on shore, since longer chants yielded stronger effects. A fifteen-minute chant would make everyone believe he'd split the lake himself. Even better would be if Donald collaborated with Chinese practitioners and replaced the ritual assistance with extended chanting—then Harry would truly pass the trial by his own means.

But things never revolve around one person, Harry told himself, gradually drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, shortly after term began, students once again gathered at the platform to see off those preparing for the Triwizard Tournament—though this time, the train seemed unusually empty.

Unlike their first departure, Hogwarts' champions were now confirmed. Many students who had lost their illusions chose to stay behind and continue their second-half term. After all, French instruction wasn't easy to grasp, and many seventh-years planned to push for NEWT exams or secure internships early.

Under these circumstances, the only ones still boarding the train besides Harry and his team were those who'd made new friends or found true love at Beauxbatons—barely twenty in total. Dumbledore had removed several carriages accordingly.

Harry stepped into the familiar carriage marked with the weasel emblem. Its interior had been refurbished and cleaned. They set down their luggage, then leaned out the windows to wave goodbye to the crowd.

Malfoy and Pan Xi both wore long robes buttoned up to their chins, leather gloves on, waving handkerchiefs with delicate, restrained motions. Harry noticed Pan Xi smiling brightly, while Malfoy's smile looked forced.

Neville and Hannah waved enthusiastically. Ginny and Ivy waved handkerchiefs. Cui Ge and Luna waved a huge red towel, occasionally jumping up—extremely animated. But Harry knew their enthusiasm carried a touch of what Zhang Qiu called "attention-seeking madness."

Along the way, the rolling Atlantic no longer held Harry's attention. The once-stunning French countryside now seemed dull. Even the train's bed felt less soft than before. Harry worried about the arrangements he'd left behind at school and pondered strategies for the second task, his mind a tangled mess.

"Uh, Alina," Ron asked, "you said Donald sold all the intel—but we still don't fully understand. Can you explain again?"

"Oh right, Donald sold the intel to Renata and Krum. Can't let you fall behind them," she said. "We compete, sure—but we must ally to suppress Renata."

"Yes, that's the logic. That guy's a bastard," Harry agreed.

"Precisely. At the bottom of the lake's center is a massive chest, but opening it requires a password," she said. "One champion starts from the surface and is given half the password in advance. They must dive in, fight through grindylows and octopus monsters, break through their blockade, and meet the underwater champion."

"The underwater champion doesn't fight—they must solve the merpeople's riddle to obtain the other half of the password," Alina continued. "When the two champions meet, they combine the passwords to open the chest. Inside are three items useful in the third task; each team can choose one."

"Clearly, the faster you complete this, the better—first to finish gets first pick," Alina smiled. "But our golden egg has a vague hint: 'The suitable is the best.' So I suspect one of the three items is a trap—what seems powerful might actually be useless."

"Thank you for your selfless sharing," Ron carefully noted every word.

"I can also share a bit of my strategy," Harry hesitated, withholding the full truth. "I'll stay on shore for fifteen minutes to prepare a powerful spell, so you can lead me by fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes?" Zhang Qiu blinked. "Did I ever teach you the Earth Gang Summoning Scroll?"

"That's the spell Harry will use?" Alina turned to Zhang Qiu. "What does it do?"

"It lets you alter terrain in any way you desire, but the cost is enormous. The most cost-effective use is creating a tunnel," Zhang Qiu said. "Fifteen minutes is enough to dig a massive underground hole and drain the entire lake."

"But it's a river—water keeps flowing in continuously," Alina was so stunned by this effect that her only thought was skepticism.

"The excavated soil won't vanish—it'll form a long dike upstream, raising the riverbanks to prevent overflow," Zhang Qiu envisioned. "We won't permanently alter Beauxbatons' terrain. After the competition, just destroy the dike and restore everything."

"This is just… too much," Alina looked dazed.

"No problem—you can explore other strategies," Ron quickly intervened. "You still have to solve the merpeople's riddle. If Cedric's too rigid and gets stuck, Harry's brilliance won't matter."

"True. The golden egg has clues about the riddle," Alina suddenly perked up. "But if you want those clues, you'll need to offer something in return. This still needs to be accounted for."

"Do you want to learn the Earth Gang Summoning Scroll?" Zhang Qiu said softly. "But I warn you—it drains sanity. Overuse may turn you into a fool—or worse, drive you mad."

Alina looked hesitant. She scratched her head. "I'm not very smart to begin with. Maybe I shouldn't learn it."

"No problem. I trust Cedric," Harry said. "He won't need hints—he'll figure out the riddle on his own."

More precisely, he trusted the tournament organizers wouldn't make things impossible for the champions. Cedric would find a way. No matter how long Cedric took to solve the riddle, Harry could still steal the spotlight with his river-splitting feat. If he demonstrated enough power and drew enough attention, he'd provoke Voldemort's wariness—that was the plan's true core.

Yet now, a tempting idea troubled him: if he learned the Earth Gang Summoning Scroll, he could bypass Donald's cheating entirely and accomplish the feat by his own strength.