Chapter 88 "Luna's Field Trip"

Skyler and his group reached the outskirts of the first camp, where the tents transitioned to a more ordinary and even worn-out appearance.

Noticing a wooden sign reading "Weasley" from a distance, Skyler observed Harry, Ron, and Hermione attempting to set up a tent in a Muggle manner.

He couldn't help but notice that Hermione seemed a bit thinner.

Since their fallout at the end of the last semester, Skyler had avoided any interaction with Hermione, believing that a meeting would only lead to mutual embarrassment.

Consequently, he bypassed the Weasley's camp.

Moving on to the second camp, they encountered Mr. Payne, the administrator, who, interestingly, was also a Muggle undergoing memory revision by Ministry of Magic officials.

Unfortunately, the revision process had gone awry, leaving Mr. Payne muttering about carrying bags of rice and multiple floors.

As they entered the camp, Astoria marveled at the surroundings.

The entire area resembled a sea of green, with tents covered in layers of clover, creating the illusion of small hills.

Daphne explained that these were supporters of the Irish team, and the clover was a symbol of Ireland.

Suddenly, Skyler heard his name being called from behind.

"Skyler!"

Turning around, he saw Cedric Diggory approaching.

Skyler and Cedric shared a friendly exchange, recalling their encounter during the Merlin's trial.

Cedric's father, Amos Diggory, proudly worked in the Department of Fantastic Beast Management and Control at the Ministry of Magic.

It was evident that Amos liked to showcase his son's victory over the renowned Harry Potter in the Quidditch game, a fact that made Cedric somewhat uncomfortable.

The Diggory family had a history of glory, with an ancestor named Eldritch Diggory having served as a beloved Minister of Magic.

In the 18th century, Eldritch, during his tenure, established the first Auror recruitment plan and initiated a committee to find an alternative to Azkaban, albeit unsuccessful after his demise due to dragon pox.

Surprisingly, over a century had passed, and the Diggory family had declined to a point where Amos's position in the Ministry of Magic was not prominent, and they couldn't even afford tickets for the first camp.

It became clear why Amos held such high expectations for Cedric, given the young wizard's outstanding talents—he likely hoped Cedric could restore the family's reputation.

Skyler then visited the Bones family tent, where Ms. Amelia warmly welcomed him and others, inviting them to enjoy a cup of scented tea.

Susan was absent, as she was out searching for Hannah Abbot and Ernie McMillan.

The four of them, along with Justin Finley, formed a close-knit group at Hogwarts.

The first half of the second camp was predominantly filled with Irish fans, including Diggory and Burns.

Despite Amelia's high status, she preferred to stay among fellow fans since she supported the Irish team.

The tents in the second half appeared more ordinary, with some exceptions.

Astoria's curiosity was piqued when she noticed a uniquely crafted tent. Shaped like a three-story building, it adhered strictly to Muggle tent styles without sacrificing luxury.

The surroundings, adorned with neatly trimmed flowers and trees, exuded a clean and tidy appearance, a departure from the usual wizarding taste and grandeur.

Strangely, there were no people or house elves in sight.

"Perhaps the entire family went out together for an outing," speculated Daphne, although she wasn't entirely convinced by her own hypothesis.

"It shouldn't be. The World Cup is about to begin. If they wanted to go out and play, now wouldn't be the ideal time. Besides, this is a wilderness with no notable attractions nearby," Skyler remarked, shaking his head.

"Ladies and sirs, what can I do for you?" With a sudden crackle, a house elf appeared in the air, startling Astoria.

The small creature had huge brown eyes and a large tomato nose, likely a female house elf.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. May I ask where this is?" Skyler inquired politely.

"This is the tent of the Crouch family. Shining serves Mr. Crouch," replied the house elf in a high-pitched voice.

"Crouch? Barty Crouch? Director of the International Cooperation Department?" Skyler immediately recognized. "Is Mr. Crouch here as well?"

"The master is going out now, and Shining is ordered to guard the tent for her master," explained the house elf with unwavering persistence. "The host sends little Shining here, and Shining has been guarding here. Unfortunately, I can't invite several ladies and gentlemen to visit the owner's tent. Shining does not have this permission."

"Excuse us, Shining," Skyler said with a chuckle as they left the tent.

Astoria, however, turned around to glance at the peculiar canvas structure.

"Don't you find it strange, Skyler?" Meredith queried. "Since Mrs. Crouch passed away, he's the only one left in the Crouch family, yet he's set up such a large tent. Are they planning to open a hotel here?"

"Yes!" Daphne chimed in. "With his family background and status, it seems unnecessary to choose a tent in the second camp. He's still one of the people in charge of this World Cup!"

Skyler remained silent, prompting Astoria to change the subject. "I'm curious about what the Bulgarians are hanging on their tents."

"Alright, let's move on to the next campsite!" Skyler suggested, clapping his hands.

The Bulgarian fan zone appeared relatively normal, not as extravagant as the Irish fan zone.

The prominent feature was the Bulgarian flag hung on the tents, each with the same poster displaying a stern face with thick black eyebrows that blinked and frowned.

"It's Victor Krum, Bulgaria's seeker!" Daphne explained to Skyler.

Recognizing that Skyler wasn't overly enthusiastic about Quidditch, the girls filled him in. "He's only eighteen years old and still attends Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"He looks so gloomy," remarked Skyler. "It seems that someone owes him money and doesn't pay it back."

Daphne burst into laughter. "He is a genius, very powerful. Many critics say that he is the best seeker of this century. You said that..."

Astoria held the opposite opinion. "Hmph, if Brother Skyler is not interested in Quidditch, I don't believe he will be better than Brother Skyler!"

Daphne found herself speechless.

They hadn't witnessed Skyler's performance on the court, but it seemed that nothing could stump him. If Skyler were to invest in Quidditch, he could potentially become an extremely formidable presence on the field.

"Dear Astoria, thank you for being so considerate of me; I am not good at flying," Skyler stated with a serious face.

Meredith snorted softly, as if expressing disbelief.

To be honest, Skyler's flying level was hard to gauge, but he could undoubtedly become the most powerful seeker.

Under the gaze of the sky, the Golden Snitch had nothing to hide.

The group then approached a peculiarly shaped tent—a black cylinder resembling a wizard chess cart and a castle tower.

The entrance was covered with mistletoe, and some strange little plants adorned the small open space in front of it.

Skyler could barely recognize the knotty vine mentioned in the book "Thousands of Magical Herbs and Mushrooms"—an aggressive and dangerous plant. He guessed whose tent this was.

Luna Lovegood, dressed in a peculiar outfit, spotted Skyler in the tent and hurriedly emerged.

Luna had often been excluded or bullied by her classmates during school due to her eccentric attire and unconventional behavior.

Despite this, she maintained a kind personality, choosing to be tolerant and friendly, and never altering her optimistic view of life.

Luna was exceptionally bright; with Skyler's covert assistance, she achieved the highest overall grade in the final exam last semester, surpassing even Ginny Weasley.

"Skyler, when did you arrive? Dad and I came here two weeks ago," Luna exclaimed, her eyes still hazy but excitement evident in her tone. "You know, he is from 'Singing a Devil,' the editor-in-chief came to interview the officials of the Ministry of Magic in charge of setting up the venue, as well as fans from other countries."

"I came here with Daphne and the others. I only arrived this morning," Skyler replied gently. "You've been here for so long; have you found anything new and interesting?"

"Yes!" Luna took Skyler's hand. "Come with me; I'll show you!"

Daphne and Meredith exchanged smiles as Astoria felt a twinge of jealousy.

The sight of Skyler being recognized by lots of girls because he seemed to excel at everything, makes the girls around him feel envious and curse the other girls that approached him.

Skyler smiled awkwardly and motioned for the others to follow Luna into the tent.

While the space inside was not large, it was filled with numerous weird and fascinating things.

In one corner of the hall, a small fish tank housed over ten colored ballfish swimming around.

Luna mentioned she personally caught them from the creek in the village of San Catchpole.

Next to the fish tank, a flowerpot contained piles of white velvet fleece, emitting a humming sound.

Luna emerged with four wooden teacups, the contents exuding heat.

Skyler and the three girls took a sip, only to experience a flavor similar to green onions that nearly caused them to choke.

"This is your first time trying Gordigan tea, right?" Luna asked with amusement. "Most people react like this the first time."

Pointing to a plant in a pot, Luna introduced, "This is Gordigan. It can drive away big-mouthed ball fish in the river, preventing bites when entering the water." Gordigan resembled an oversized green onion.

"But there are more interesting things out there! Come with me." Luna led them to the clearing filled with small plants. Pointing to a seemingly harmless hollow tree stump, she said, "This is a lumpy vine. Check if the stump has lumps. In fact, these lumps can produce grapefruit-sized pods. But if you try to take its pods—"

Luna took a small dead branch and poked a bump.

Suddenly, five or six thorn-covered vines protruded from the stump, attempting to grab Luna.

She casually tossed the dead branch away, and it was swiftly swept up by the vines.

Daphne couldn't help but comment, "This is more dangerous than Devil Thorn?"

Meredith paled. "I remember this plant from 'The World of Carnivorous Trees' book series. It's one of the most perilous plants."

(Note: "Flesh-Eating Trees of the World" is a sixth-grade herbal medicine textbook, part of a series divided into several books. The People's Press translates it as "The Encyclopedia of Flesh-eating Trees." The author has simplified the translation, but herbal medicine textbooks usually disclose the herb's origin, so the author added the word "world" back.)

Luna smiled and reassured, "Don't be afraid; this is just its self-defense mechanism. If you don't provoke it, the pimple vine is quite friendly and won't harm people."

"Ahem, Luna, are you sure your last name is Lovegood? Not Hagrid?" Skyler interrupted with a teasing smile on his face.

Luna only smiled upon hearing Skyler's comment and shot him a meaningful look.

The other girls could be seen was getting envious as Luna gets Skyler's whole attention at the moment.

After introducing the pimple vine, Luna moved on to a spoonful of purple flowers.

Finally, she presented a small shrub with countless orange-red radishes hanging upside down.

Luna picked a few fruits and handed them to everyone, saying, "Try this; it's the Airship Lee. It enhances the user's ability to accept unusual things. My earrings are made of this." Luna's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Knowing Luna's special spiritual intuition and her ability to discern true friends, Skyler picked up a crunchy one without hesitation. The other three girls followed suit.

Observing their reaction, Luna couldn't help but display a bright and enchanting smile.

The sun cast a diagonal glow on her long, pale golden hair, giving it a golden sheen like sand.

Her eyes, dreamy and trance-like, added to her ethereal charm. Even in Skyler's composed state, he felt a soft spot deep in his heart being touched.

After bidding farewell to Luna, the group ventured into wizard camps from other countries.

They encountered tents resembling Egyptian pyramids and African wizards roasting something resembling a hare over a purple fire.

Skyler, who had been an adventurous traveler in his previous life, found the experience eye-opening, appreciating the unique customs and cultures of different nations.