"Welcome, welcome—welcome to Switzerland."
A voice drifted over. Lynn turned to look and saw an old lady with silver-gray hair tied in a meticulous bun walking toward them.
She wore a sharply tailored deep blue robe. Her pace was steady, and her gaze was sharp and clear; her overall aura gave an impression of maturity, stability, and shrewd efficiency.
"Oh—Genevieve, it's a pleasure to see you again." Dumbledore smiled and stepped forward, greeting her warmly.
The newcomer was Genevieve Oberlin, the current Minister of the Swiss Ministry of Magic.
The fact that even the Minister had come out in person to welcome them showed how much importance the Swiss magical community placed on hosting this inaugural international competition.
Minister Oberlin's decisive and efficiency-focused demeanor somehow reminded Lynn of Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts.
"Greetings. This young Wizard must be the contestant sent by Hogwarts? Quite young, indeed." Genevieve turned her gaze toward Lynn as she spoke to Dumbledore.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Genevieve got straight to the point and led Dumbledore, Lynn, and the others toward the building where the opening ceremony would be held.
From the outside, the building was an ancient, classical-style stone hall, but as soon as they stepped inside, Lynn immediately felt the space become extraordinarily vast.
It was clearly enchanted with a sophisticated Undetectable Extension Charm. He thought to himself that the interior space was completely disproportionate to the exterior; it was like a small hut hiding a massive stadium.
Before them stood an incredibly magnificent, enormous hall.
The dome was not solid; instead, it used exquisite magic to simulate the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, shimmering with radiant light. It was similar to the magical ceiling of the Hogwarts Great Hall, but on a much larger scale, and the star trajectories appeared far more complex.
In the center of the hall was a slightly sunken circular platform with a surface as smooth as a mirror. Complex circuits of magical runes faintly flickered there; that was likely the main arena.
The spectator stands surrounding the arena rose in tiers, ensuring that every seat had an excellent view.
On the second floor of the hall, directly facing the best position in the arena, was a row of seats that looked distinct from the rest—presumably the judges' panel.
After a quick tour of the competition venue, Minister Genevieve excused herself, as she still needed to welcome other arriving teams and important guests.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to remind Dumbledore, Lynn, and the others not to miss the official opening ceremony shortly.
Looking at her hurried departure, Lynn couldn't help but mutter in his mind: Is the Swiss Ministry of Magic that short-staffed? Even the Minister of Magic is working part-time as a greeter?
The accommodation area arranged by the organizing committee was right next to the venue, consisting of a series of fully equipped single rooms. Overall, it wasn't luxurious, but it was clean and tidy, enough to meet the daily needs of the contestants.
"Now, I declare the opening ceremony of the First International Youth Alchemy Competition officially begun!"
Minister Genevieve Oberlin stood on the podium, announcing the start of the competition in a clear and powerful voice.
Immediately after, she began introducing the heavyweight members of the judging panel:
Vasily Orlov, a famous Alchemist from the Soviet Union, whose primary achievement was the creation of the "Elemental Resonance Disk."
It was said that the holder could calm storms, solidify magma, purify water sources, and even trigger small-scale earthquakes within a certain range.
However, using it was extremely mentally taxing; one slip-up and you could easily end up "killing yourself" through overexertion.
Sophia van der Velde, an Alchemist from the Netherlands, who invented the "Mirror Amber."
This peculiar alchemical item could temporarily seal living beings inside without affecting them, although the amber only lasted for a short time after the sealing ended.
Nevertheless, it had already played a major role in magical medicine, especially in complex treatments and the transport of dangerous creatures.
Lin Lanxin, an Alchemist from the East, whose representative work was the "Jade of Seven Emotions."
The wearer could become immune to the effects of negative emotions and could convert their own negative emotions into a temporary boost in magic power, which was particularly useful in situations requiring explosive strength.
However, it was said that overusing it could easily lead to emotional imbalance or even personality disorders.
Shantanu Adhikari, an Alchemy expert from India, who synthesized the unique "Swapna Stone."
Using the power of this gemstone, one could enter others' dreams to communicate or, of course, use it to create nightmares that were difficult to escape.
Samuel Brook, a representative of modern Alchemy from the United States.
His main contribution wasn't a specific invention, but rather the "standardization" and "quantification" reform of many complex, experience-dependent steps in Alchemy. He introduced rigorous processes and data recording similar to Muggle scientific experiments, greatly lowering the entry barrier for Alchemy and promoting its modern development.
Listening to these prestigious names and their achievements, Lynn's heart swelled with excitement, though he also felt a slight regret.
The legendary Alchemist Nicolas Flamel hadn't come. He had really wanted to see for himself what this Alchemist, who had lived for several centuries, looked like.
During the host's subsequent introductions, Lynn learned that representatives from several well-known magic schools across the globe were participating in this competition.
At the same time, many Wizards who had already graduated but still loved Alchemy had also signed up. Ultimately, a total of about 200 contestants were selected to compete on the same stage.
The competition would be divided into three rounds. In the first round, 150 people would be eliminated; in the second round, another 40 would be eliminated, eventually leading to the final winner.
The first and second rounds were scheduled for tomorrow.
After the opening ceremony concluded, there was plenty of free time before the theoretical exam.
Lynn remembered his promise to his roommates and planned to visit Switzerland's magical commercial street. Surely there was a place here similar to Britain's Diagon Alley. He wanted to browse and see if there were any unique magical items or local specialties he could bring back.
As for revision? Did you have some kind of misunderstanding about cheats? Why would anyone revise when they have a cheat?
He turned to Dumbledore and the Burns couple.
"Principal, Uncle, Aunt, I'd like to take advantage of the free time to visit the 'Diagon Alley' of Switzerland to buy some things and get some souvenirs for Edgar and the others. That should be okay, right?"
He was mainly seeking Dumbledore's opinion.
Dumbledore blinked and gave a gentle smile.
"Oh—of course you can, child. It's good to relax and conserve your energy for tomorrow's exam. Switzerland's Vault Alley is indeed very close to here—quite convenient."
As he spoke, he took a feather shimmering with a red luster from his robes and handed it to Lynn.
"This is a feather from Fawkes. If... well, if you encounter any unexpected danger, remember to use it. Of course, I very much hope you won't have the chance to use it."
Lynn took the feather and tucked it away carefully, while a thought flashed through his mind: If I don't use it, I shouldn't have to return this feather, right?
"Thank you, Professor! I'll be careful."
After bidding them farewell, Lynn went to a huge fireplace in the common room of the accommodation area.
He pinched a small amount of sparkling Floo powder from an exquisite silver bowl placed on a nearby shelf.
"Foothill Vault Alley!"
He clearly enunciated the destination and threw the Floo powder into the fireplace.
"Whoosh!"
Flames instantly surged up, enveloping Lynn.
After the familiar sensation of tumbling inside a washing machine, Lynn stumbled out of another fireplace decorated with Alpine rock walls and pine wood trim.
Hmm... a much better experience than a Portkey made by a certain unknown master.
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