Chapter 781
The game begins
Chapter 781 The game begins
"Vade?"
A familiar voice rang out from the side and behind, breaking the slightly stagnant atmosphere in the corridor.
Wade turned around and saw Professor Morrie walking up from behind with a gentle smile on his face.
His gaze first fell on Wade, then naturally shifted to Corbett.
“Oh, Aldridge?” Professor Morrie’s tone was a mixture of surprise and familiarity. “I didn’t expect to see you here… Has the Security Department become so busy that you need to come to the stadium in person to supervise?”
He naturally stepped between the two, blocking Corbitt's gaze from Wade.
Corbett's stiff smile faded, and he nodded slightly, saying, "Long time no see, Terence. I'm just doing my routine inspection to make sure nothing goes wrong at such an important international event."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "I happened to run into your student and couldn't resist coming over to chat. After all..."
His gaze seemed to pierce through Professor Morrie and land on Wade.
"...Nowadays, who wouldn't want to meet the young Mr. Wade Gray?"
"Haha, indeed... that's the troubles of celebrities, Wade."
Professor Morrie patted Wade's arm proudly and affectionately, then said, "We should head back to the judges' table...Give my regards to Ezra."
"Of course, I will certainly convey your greetings to Mr. Hausman."
Corbett bowed slightly.
Professor Morrie smiled at Corbett and led Wade toward the judges' table.
After passing through the stone corridor, the bright lights of the arena and the buzzing chatter of the spectators came rushing in.
At this moment, Professor Morrie turned his head and whispered to Wade, "Keep your distance from that guy from now on... Aldridge Corbitt, that guy's mind is more complicated than a spider web."
Wade nodded in agreement, keeping Professor Morrie's words in mind.
Without another word, the two returned to the judges' table, one after the other. Meanwhile, on the stage before them, most of the contestants were already prepared for the competition.
On the once flat ground, there were neatly arranged workbenches, one for each person, containing most of the equipment and tools needed for alchemy. The furnaces had also been lit, with golden-red flames roaring and the temperature continuing to rise.
The shelves around the workbench were piled high with a dazzling array of magical materials, including some very rare ones, and there were at least thirty of each kind.
All these materials were provided free of charge by the organizers to ensure that some alchemists could not fully utilize their abilities due to differences in alchemical materials.
Although most alchemists are not short of money, seeing those precious materials piled up on the shelves like rat tails still makes many people drool and yearn.
Some contestants were tidying up their workbenches, putting all kinds of tools in easy-to-reach places;
Some of them had already put on heavy leather aprons and protective gloves, looking just like blacksmiths;
Some people closed their eyes to rest, some were busy adjusting the heat, some were gently stroking the materials in front of them as if they were lovers, and some suddenly cast a stimulating spell on themselves, then shuddered as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.
In the air, the strings of magic are gradually tightening, waiting for the command to be given, at which point the flames of everyone's wisdom will be ignited simultaneously on the field, colliding to create a dazzling light.
"call--"
Suddenly, red flames shot into the air around the arena. It was as more than a dozen wizards simultaneously raised their wands and fired red sparks into the sky.
"boom!"
Amidst an explosive sound, a giant "7" appeared in the sky.
The audience members who were still walking around quickly took their seats. When Wade saw Harry and the others carrying the snacks they had just bought, he ran hurriedly towards the private box.
"boom!"
Orange sparks exploded, forming a conspicuous "6". "Oh, thank goodness I wasn't late." Fontana hurriedly sat down next to Professor Morrie, catching his breath. "It's all that Stern's fault, he insisted on talking to me."
Silas Hawthorne leaned forward and asked, "Is it that 'cowardly Stern'?"
“Yes, he used to be my student,” Fontana said. “I have to say, he’s become much bolder now… Before, he would have run away if he saw me from a kilometer away.”
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The yellow "5", green "4", and blue "3" appeared in turn, and the conversations in the audience gradually subsided, with everyone returning to their seats.
From a distance, Wade saw Mr. Corbett walk up the magical platform and into a private room on the upper part of the rock wall.
There seemed to be a few more people inside, but from Wade's perspective, they were no longer clearly visible.
Rainbow-colored fireworks continued to explode in the sky—
"Bang! Bang!"
After the final two explosive sounds, the continuously burning fireworks formed a rainbow in the sky, and William Harris, the host, reappeared on stage full of energy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back!" Harris announced loudly. "I am William Harris, and it is a great honor to be here with Mr. Krupp to commentate on this upcoming battle of wits and magic!"
Organizing committee chairman Bastian von Krupp sat behind a long table next to him, wearing glasses. When the camera turned to him, he raised his hand and waved it, without any further expression.
Harris continued, "Now—I will announce the events for this competition..."
He took out a wax-sealed envelope, tore it open in front of everyone, took out a piece of parchment from inside, unfolded it, and then exaggeratedly widened his eyes.
"This is...this is absolutely incredible!"
His gaze shifted to the tense-looking contestants, and holding up the parchment, he said, "This year's theme is—Adaptive Objects for Complex Environments!"
A buzz of discussion arose from the audience. After Harris finished reading, he stood silently for a while, holding the parchment. Just as everyone quieted down, thinking there might be some further rules, the host suddenly turned around and asked pitifully:
"What does this mean, Mr. Krupp?"
He opened his eyes wide like a child, revealing a particularly bewildered look, which elicited another burst of soft laughter from the audience.
Chairman Krupp smiled, then pointed his wand at his throat, cast an amplification spell, and slowly said:
"In other words... the contestants need to use the materials we provide to design and create an alchemical artifact on-site that can withstand at least one harsh environment."
"What types of 'terrible environment' are included in this description?" Harris asked hopefully. "To be honest, I think my current work environment is rather terrible..."
Krupp said, "There are many options—extremely low or high temperatures, strong corrosion, toxic gases, the deep sea... and of course, a vacuum environment."
"That sounds really difficult. If it were me, I'd probably just have to stack up protective spells like crazy, right?" Harris asked again. "But I don't think that meets the requirements of 'adaptive'?"
“Of course,” Krupp said in a clear, aged voice, “What we need is not just a simple iron box. It must be able to adapt to changes in the external environment, to sense, judge, and respond in a timely manner, and even have a certain degree of decision-making ability, providing users with flexible and safe protection…”
"That sounds really tough! Luckily I don't have to participate!" Harris remarked, glancing sympathetically at the other contestants before asking, "So how do you determine who wins?"
"The judging criteria will be extremely strict—the completeness of the work, its breadth of adaptability, responsiveness, duration, functionality, and creativity, among other things, will all be key factors in determining the winner."
After speaking at such a lengthy pace, Krupp paused to rest for a moment before continuing, "Of course, the specific criteria are a matter for our judges to consider... I believe they will certainly give a fair judgment..."
"Thank you for your explanation, Mr. Krupp!"
Harris nodded at Krupp, then quickly turned to face the audience and the camera, speaking at a faster pace:
"Alright, everyone, the rules are clear, the challenges are defined, and a storm of innovation is about to sweep across the entire venue!"
"Contestants, what are you waiting for?! Begin your crafting—go and create miracles!"
(End of this chapter)