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The stronger the wizard, the bigger the nerve.
When the competition started, the other contestants flew out on broomsticks, but Owen clasped his hands behind his back and walked in unhurriedly on his own two legs.
The Dragon Sanctuary was huge. In ten days, if walking, you couldn't even reach the center, let alone get the necessary materials.
So, Owen wasn't in a rush at all. He just wanted to wander around for a day or two. If he could pick up a dragon egg or something, he could give it to Master Newt as a gift when he saw him.
Of course, if he could find two eggs, he could raise one himself.
Hogwarts was quite the diverse ecosystem now: Acromantulas, Centaurs, a Phoenix, a Three-Headed Dog, Unicorns, a Basilisk, a Wampus Cat... adding a fire dragon wouldn't be bad. Just not a fire-breathing one; raising it in the Forbidden Forest would be a fire hazard.
"Dragon" was just a general term.
The sanctuary had ten types, including Chinese Fireballs, Norwegian Ridgebacks, and Ukrainian Ironbellies. Not all of them breathed fire. For instance, the Peruvian Vipertooth was like the Acromantula—it used poison, not fire.
Although it could still cause considerable damage, it was much better than something that breathed fire.
It was all up to luck. If he found one, he'd take it. If not, forget it. No need to force things.
However, he hadn't walked for half a day when a shadow loomed over him.
A Ukrainian Ironbelly flew right over his head. It was fine initially, but just as it was about to fly into the valley ahead, a red light suddenly appeared and struck its neck. The massive explosion flipped the Ironbelly over in mid-air.
That damage wouldn't kill the Ironbelly, but plenty of blood and scale fragments rained down. Watching the enraged Ironbelly fly toward the valley, Owen unhurriedly collected these unexpected materials.
If he went back now to start brewing, he'd score a lot of points for time!
Better to keep looking, he thought. People were already making their moves. They weren't hunting dragons to kill, but trying to trap one to get a full set of potion materials directly.
Dragons are massive. Draining some blood or taking a bit of flesh is like a human pulling a hangnail—you feel it, but it's not a big deal.
But the way these Potioneers were acting... it was like you were walking down the street or heading home for dinner, and suddenly someone rushes out, punches you in the face, knocks you dizzy, and then pulls out your hangnail.
Wouldn't that piss you off?
And dragons have much worse tempers than humans. So, in no time at all, dragon roars and the sounds of explosions were echoing from everywhere.
None of this had anything to do with Owen. He had no intention of using such crude methods to get his materials.
Time passed. Five days went by.
The Dragon Sanctuary was chaotic. The sanctuary manager's face was dark and foul, but there was nothing he could do.
The International Wizarding Potions Championship was the sanctuary's biggest sponsor. To put it bluntly, they didn't invest in this money-losing sanctuary out of the kindness of their hearts; they saw it as a reserve for medicinal ingredients. So, when they wanted to hold an event here, the sanctuary had no choice but to cooperate.
Just then, Owen returned carrying a small bag. Just as the competition officials thought he was forfeiting, a Hungarian Horntail descended from the sky and landed right in front of him.
"Come on, open wide. Alright, I see it without you telling me. That tooth is rotten black. It's fine, just need to pull it out. Bear with me a second!"
The people from the Potions Championship and the sanctuary watched in shock as Owen stood inside the Horntail's mouth to pull the tooth. The dragon was tearing up from the pain but remained perfectly still until the rotten tooth was yanked out.
After Owen cleaned the wound with a Water-Making Spell, it finally soared into the sky and flew away.
Owen unhurriedly collected the dragon tooth, dragon blood, and dragon tears. He continued to wait.
A moment later, a Chinese Fireball flew over. As soon as it landed, it rested its head on Owen's shoulder.
"Norbert?" Owen recognized him. This was the dragon Hagrid had raised the year before last, which was eventually sent here. "I didn't expect you to get so big in just two years!"
Norbert enjoyed Owen's pats, then turned around and spread his wings.
"Been fighting with other dragons, huh? That wound is pretty deep. Hold still..."
Watching Owen cut away a large chunk of flesh while the Chinese Fireball gritted its teeth and endured it, the people from the Potions Championship felt like they were watching something truly magical—or rather, surreal.
That's right. Owen's actions made even wizards feel like they were seeing magic!
Everyone else was getting materials through combat, while this little wizard from Hogwarts was getting them by practicing medicine. And from the looks of it, could he actually communicate with dragons?
Realizing this, people started flipping through the contestant files. The more they read, the more shocked they became. The sanctuary staff, in particular, nearly had a heart attack when they saw a specific line in Owen's profile!
This little wizard... this little wizard is actually a student of Master Newt Scamander?!
We have to guard against him! Do not let this kid smuggle a dragon out!!!
Sometimes, having a famous teacher really screws over the student...
Owen genuinely had no intention of taking any dragons. All he wanted was a dragon egg. Unfortunately, the dragons in the sanctuary were past their laying season. There wasn't a single egg left; even the youngest dragons were already grown.
After spending the last five days running a free clinic for the dragons, the competition officially began.
It was an open-air brewing session, as the handling of materials and brewing techniques were all part of the score.
Aside from Owen, everyone else was under immense pressure—
The dragons Owen had treated came to cheer him on. They didn't roar or make noise; they just quietly lay down in a neat row beside him.
The pressure on the others was massive!
Owen didn't mind. He chose dragon bone powder and dragon blood as his main ingredients, paired with a few other herbs. He was using this competition to try and brew a brand-new potion.
The Fire Dragon Potion!
Even though the potion wasn't finished yet, he claimed the name first so no one else could take it. Saved him the trouble of brainstorming later.
Owen's foundation in material handling was rock solid. His movements were fluid and practiced. In less than half a day, all ingredients were prepped. He lit the fire, added water, and began adding the ingredients, never forgetting to take notes as he went.
Watching the potion shift from its initial crimson red to a pale blue, Owen finally relaxed.
He plopped down onto the tail Norbert had helpfully extended, raised his hand, and signaled that his potion was complete.