#177 - Section 177

"Hatch!"

With a 'pop', Hatch apparated in front of Ethan.

In his hands, he carried a suitcase.

Most of the items for Ethan's trip were packed by Hatch.

Including going out to buy tents and other necessities.

Although Ethan could make them himself, and the quality would be even better, wasn't the point of having Galleons to enjoy life?

If he had to do everything himself, what was the point of being rich?

"Master, everything you need is ready."

Hatch looked at Ethan respectfully and placed the suitcase in front of him.

"Well then, I'm counting on you to watch the house while I'm gone!"

Ethan trusted the professionalism of house-elves.

Moreover, Ethan didn't plan to take Hatch with him this time.

After shrinking the suitcase with a Shrinking Charm and putting it away, Ethan took out a Portkey.

This was a Portkey specifically for the Department of Magical Games and Sports, shaped like a baseball bat, actually the bat used by the batter.

Since Ethan had never been to the Quidditch World Cup in person, he couldn't Apparate there at all and could only rely on a Portkey.

In addition to the internal Portkey that Ethan had obtained from Ludo, there were two hundred Portkey locations scattered throughout Great Britain.

These two hundred Portkeys were distributed in various remote wilderness areas of Great Britain, and their appearances were strange and varied, such as tattered boots, rusty abandoned iron barrels, and dirty scarves.

This was mainly to prevent Muggles from discovering them.

This year's Quidditch World Cup had a total of one hundred thousand participants, which far exceeded the number of wizards in Great Britain.

To ensure its smooth operation, the venue was chosen in a remote swamp and a series of spells were set up to prevent Muggles from approaching.

Because the location was too remote, Apparition was difficult to reach, and there wasn't even a fireplace, the Portkey became the best tool.

Therefore, two hundred Portkey locations were set up to help the wizards who came to watch the game.

Moreover, these locations were public; as long as you bought the latest newspaper or magazine, they would have introductions to these locations.

Ethan held the baseball bat horizontally in his hand, and Cassandra and the others also placed their hands on the bat in turn.

After everyone was ready, Ethan activated it directly.

In a dizzying whirl, Ethan and his group arrived at a very open lawn, with a clear blue sky, green grass, and a dense forest in front of them.

It seemed that the Ministry of Magic had really put a lot of effort into successfully holding this Quidditch World Cup and had beautified the surrounding environment.

Looking at the magnificent building in front of them, with it as the center, the surrounding areas marked with signs for setting up tents were already filled with many tents, and groups of wizards were talking together, with members of various national teams training in the sky.

After putting away the Portkey, Ethan led Cassandra and the others towards the open space around the building.

Why live on the edge when you can live in the center?

After all, when the game started, whether it was the core area around the building or the outer perimeter near the forest, there would be a lot of people.

Moreover, the tents had excellent soundproofing and were very spacious inside.

When he bought them, Ethan had Hatch get the top-of-the-line tents; he wanted the comfort.

[Thank you to the big boss Chong Ling for the monthly ticket, thank you, big boss!]

Chapter 222: Betting on Quidditch

"Ethan, you're finally here. There's still space at my dad's place, do you need it?"

"My dad has already paid the site fee until the end of the game."

Just as they approached the area where tents could be set up, Draco came to greet them with his two cronies.

He just had a bitter face, and he didn't look willing at all.

"Okay, take me there!"

Ethan thought for a moment and agreed to Draco's suggestion.

"Follow me, it's this way!"

Draco immediately stepped forward to lead Ethan.

This trip, he was also forced by his father, having to squat here every day waiting for Ethan to arrive and then lead him the way.

After going to Crete Island with Ethan, Lucius was just thinking about how to hug his thigh.

So, he wanted to do anything that could please Ethan.

Now, coming to watch the Quidditch World Cup was a more suitable opportunity, but of course, Lucius himself didn't want to come forward to greet him.

After all, Ethan was just a student on the surface, and even if he had obtained the Order of Merlin, First Class, it wasn't worth the Malfoy family head personally greeting him; their identities were completely unequal.

Ethan currently didn't have any plans to reveal himself, so Lucius naturally didn't dare to act on his own.

At this time, he thought of his son Draco.

As a classmate, what was wrong with Draco going out to greet Ethan?

Moreover, this not only created a good impression but might also bring Ethan and his son closer.

For this reason, during the time he was waiting for Ethan, Lucius didn't even let Draco play Quidditch; before Ethan arrived, he could only stay there obediently.

Arriving at the open space that Draco was pointing at, Ethan looked around. The space between the tents was still very large, and each tent had a family crest on it.

At a rough glance, a third of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families were gathered here.

The Vole family's tent was also here, and Cassandra also saw her own tent, but she didn't move at all.

It was as if the tent had nothing to do with her at all.

So, this was the private land of the British pure-blood aristocracy?

However, since he had reserved a spot for himself, Ethan wasn't going to stand on ceremony. He immediately opened the suitcase that Hutch had organized and took out the tent.

Thanks to magic, there was no need to set it up himself like a Muggle.

As soon as he opened it, it unfolded on its own and firmly rooted itself to the ground.

Ethan led Cassandra and the others inside. This was a top-of-the-line tent.

Inside, thanks to a Space Extension Charm, the space was quite large, and the decor was quite luxurious. There were more than a dozen rooms to choose from.

After clearing out some items from the suitcase and arranging them, Ethan contacted Fleur.

After all, she had sent him quite a few messages these past two days, and had specifically told him to let her know as soon as he arrived.

Ethan had barely sent the message when she replied instantly.

Then she attached a meeting location.

Ethan turned to look at Cassandra and the others, who were still busy cleaning up, but after hesitating for a moment, he decided to leave alone.

Arriving at a commercial street specifically built for this Quidditch World Cup, Fleur and Gabrielle were already waiting there.

"Brother!"

The moment Gabrielle saw Ethan, her eyes lit up and she ran over with open arms.

Ethan hugged her in his arms.

Then Gabrielle kissed Ethan on the face, a scene that drew the attention of many people around them.

Some wizards were itching to draw their wands, casting suspicious or jealous glances at Ethan.

They seemed to be waiting for someone to take the lead before swarming him.

Although child exploitation was forbidden and a serious crime,

the allure of Fleur, a beautiful young woman, and Gabrielle, a little loli, both with Veela blood, was undeniable. Every smile and frown captivated hearts.

Now, seeing that this beast actually wanted to take them all, how could the other gentlemen not be angry?

However, since no one was willing to take the lead, these gentlemen dared to be angry but dared not speak out.

Ethan ignored them completely, hugging Gabrielle and pulling Fleur into the commercial street.

"Madam Apolline, didn't she come with you?"

A loli, a young woman, and a mature woman would have been perfect.

"She went out shopping with a few aunts after breakfast. Maybe we'll run into her here."

Fleur pointed to the commercial street ahead and said helplessly to Ethan.

Her mother had been shopping for two days already and was still so energetic. It was unbelievable.

Ethan didn't comment on this.

The Daily Prophet had focused on introducing this commercial street, and had also introduced many unique stalls.

It could be said that this place had vendors from all countries, meaning that this street almost included goods from all regions of the wizarding world.

Of course, the rent was also quite expensive, and there were also high taxes. The British Ministry of Magic had spent so much manpower and resources to organize this Quidditch World Cup, they definitely had to recoup their costs, and even make some money.

In addition to earning advertising fees in the stadium, tent site rental, and opening betting and gambling, this commercial street was also a major way to make money.

But even so, vendors from all over were breaking their heads to get a stall here.

You must know that this place gathered hundreds of thousands of people, a number that no single country's wizarding population had.

Now that so many people were concentrated in such a small area, it was conceivable how profitable it would be to do business here.

Holding Gabrielle, Ethan did indeed discover many strange gadgets here.

He also bought a lot of items, of course, the most he bought were women's clothing with certain regional characteristics.

Mainly women's styles, as for men's styles, Ethan didn't even look at them.

Then he bought a lot of local specialties before taking Fleur back to his tent.

Because Fleur had spent a month with them during the summer vacation last year,

they didn't feel awkward at the moment. The girls sat aside and chatted quite happily.

Ethan was neglected by them.

In that case, it really suited Ethan's wishes.

He went straight out and headed towards the specially set up betting area.

Ethan just didn't go there with Gabrielle, after all, she was too young. If it was just Fleur, there would be no problem.

Arriving at the betting area, it was also quite lively.

There were private settings by wizards, mainly some pure-blood nobles from various countries...

They came out with the name of their families, and they still had a certain reputation.

Many Ministry of Magic officials also participated in it, and the British Ministry of Magic occupied the C position because of its home advantage.

In addition, the largest scale was the goblins. Every time at this time, it was their happiest time.

There was no doubt that the goblin side also gathered the most wizards.

This was not a gambling game opened by a single goblin, or goblins of a certain country or force, but by the goblin group as a whole.

With the support of all the goblins and Gringotts' strong financial resources, they were the most attractive.

Ethan even saw Ludo's figure here.

At this critical moment, as the Director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, he didn't go to preside over the work, but ran to the casino. He was really hopeless.

Ethan didn't bother him about this.

Let him go!

As long as he doesn't make himself a wanted criminal like in the original book, Ethan doesn't care what happens!

"Ethan?"

Hearing a shout from behind, Ethan turned his head in confusion, only to see heads shaking, and he didn't know where the speaker was at all.

In this kind of crowded scene, no matter how strong Ethan's perception was, it was useless!