great-warnovel Chapter 163 The Beginning of the Trial
Chapter 163 The Beginning of the Trial
Chapter 163 The Beginning of the Trial
The Loire Valley in central France was once the center of ancient French civilization and a place of great scenic beauty.
A land of abundant resources and happiness.
But in the days following the war, everything here has been abandoned.
Universities, palaces, and vineyards were either reduced to rubble or turned into battlefields.
The lush mutant plants devoured the vineyards, and vast tracts of farmland were abandoned and polluted; the shamans' fires burned all the books in the collection, whether scientific works or novels by great authors—the fire of civilization could not withstand the raging flames; the insane Muggles smashed the palaces of past kings and looted everything that seemed to be of value.
Today, the still-flowing Royal River is a toxic, foul-smelling river, where dangerous aquatic creatures lurk beneath the algae and silt, waiting for any living being that dares to approach.
But it remains the most important water source in the valley. The Muggles who still remain here, living in relatively peaceful places nearby, are mostly subservient to the rule of the Malays, but the wizards cannot care for so many people.
Their only responsibility was to drive out the dangerous mutant beasts and deal with any Muggle spies who smuggled in from the east and spread dangerous ideas. As for the supplies needed for survival, they mostly had to rely on themselves.
Even after being filtered ten times, the drinking water remains toxic; the crops grow vigorously but are deformed, and it's unknown whether they will affect future generations; the meat is rich in harmful substances. They are not qualified to go to the core areas under the rule of the Malays; they are only used as resources for territorial expansion, to establish a foothold in Grindelwald's territory. Only by giving birth to wizard children and becoming a glorious wizard family can they have the right to move to New Paris.
Hogwarts' heavy legs trod across the murky river and lingered on the banks of the valley. Although neither Muggles nor patrolling Mughals could see the school, even within the castle, one could vaguely sense that a gaze was directed at them from three hundred kilometers to the north.
That was Grindelwald, the still-burning old Paris, which had blackened the northern sky. Under that gloomy light, it was as if an eye dwelling in fire was coldly watching all the outsiders who had intruded into its territory.
Fortunately, the Malay Party is relatively friendly to wizarding forces. Even if they have different ideologies, they will not attack them. It is as if the Dark Lord is convinced that he is the true future of wizards. Even if others cannot understand it for the time being, they will eventually come to his side.
Whether they were members of the Order of the Phoenix or wizarding nobles from places like Malfoy Castle, they only preached and drove them away. Wizards did not fear the Marauders as much as Muggles did.
Lockhart contacted the Malay Party officials in the valley in advance, expressing his desire to conduct wilderness survival training with the students there. The old wizard named Najjar squinted his eyes and said that it was no problem at all, and even asked if he should arrange for someone to protect him.
Lockhart certainly didn't want to be watched by the Malays the whole time; they might even secretly slip students Malay pamphlets filled with ideas like wizard supremacy.
Moreover, during the fieldwork, he would disappear for a long time to fight the basilisk, with only Professor Flitwick watching over him.
It's worrying no matter how you look at it.
However, there are advantages to choosing this location. It is considered to be under the actual control of the UMNO party, and the danger is much lower than that of the unknown wasteland. At least there is no need to worry about fully armed Muggle soldiers or aberrant beasts with a danger level of 5X or higher suddenly rushing out.
Because Flitwick let it slip during Charms class, the students all knew the details of the field trip.
This was their first time getting close to a UMNO gathering place, and they were quite interested, as they might even see Muggles living there.
As the second-year students once again prepared to go on the lawn, only Lockhart, Hermione, and Draco exchanged glances.
"I'm sorry, Lockhart, the students had so many questions that I accidentally let it slip," Flitwick said apologetically, leaning on a specially made broom that fit his height.
"It's just a little mystery, I think everyone will be happy to know in advance," Lockhart replied, unusually absentmindedly.
"As Professor Flitwick mentioned earlier, our course today will be a half-day wilderness survival training session near Angers, France."
He looked at the excited crowd and said, "We won't be going back to school for lunch today. We'll have lunch in the valley, so you'll have to fend for yourselves."
"The professor will guide you throughout the process on how to obtain food and water in the wild, and how to harmlessly process the collected ingredients."
Ron looked troubled: "They say we have to eat deformed eels with bellies full of mud, and giant berries with five butts."
Harry patted his pocket with quiet pride; it contained the sandwich and nut bread he'd taken from the Great Hall that morning.
"Don't worry, if it's really too bad, I have spare rations here."
He was unaware that Hermione had assigned him to fight the Death Eaters, and he probably wouldn't have many opportunities to cook.
"Alright, kids, if you're ready, let's go. We have a long day ahead of us."
Following Lockhart's command, everyone took off in single file on their broomsticks.
As soon as I stepped out of the castle, I could tell that this place was different from the wasteland I had seen before.
The valley is much warmer than the outside world. From a high vantage point, on the protruding highlands, in the settlements enclosed by fences and walls, there are small houses made of wood and brick, with people moving in and out like ants.
Some people dressed as wizards stood on high places to patrol and guard, while others cast spells at the sky to ensure that the valley was warm enough. Occasionally, people would fly by on broomsticks. When they saw Lockhart and his children, they would not say anything, stare for a while, and then leave.
The Muggles went about their business in an orderly fashion. Some went to the river to fetch water in groups of three or five, carrying weapons; others went into some kind of workshop in the settlement, with black smoke billowing from the chimney, perhaps firing bricks or pottery.
Some well-developed farms are surrounded by layers of barbed wire to prevent animals and starving people from stealing. However, the climate here is mild and crops grow slowly, so it is difficult for people to starve to death, although they may not necessarily be healthy.
Lockhart led the students to fly over the settlement; they were heading to a more remote place, at least closer to the wild.
Draco, riding his broomstick, stealthily approached Hermione, who was still flying using gravity magic.
He winked at her, pointed to his arm, and mouthed, "It's reacting."
Hermione understood; the Carol siblings, who were lurking here, had sensed Draco and probably already prepared the Portkey and left first.
The Burghist Party's control over wizards is extremely lax. Just like with the Order of the Phoenix, they don't care about the comings and goings of dark wizards. Therefore, people like the Carol siblings, as long as they don't reveal that they are core members of the Green Flame Party, will not be bothered even if patrolling wizards see them. They will only come out to arrest people when dark wizards cause great damage, but if it is just a few Muggle casualties, they will mostly ignore it.