306: Chapter 299: The practical course is about to begin; two spots are available.

Pegasi were galloping through the sky, and everyone was busy gazing up at the magical creatures when they suddenly felt a slight tremor in the ground beneath their feet.

The rhythm of the tremor was very regular; it was clearly not an earthquake.

The Queen couldn't help but stand up from the bench, gazing toward the woods at the edge of the clearing. The trees were swaying as if some colossal monster was rampaging through them.

The next second, a soil-yellow rhinoceros crashed through the trees and charged out.

No matter how one looked at it, it was clearly a rhinoceros.

Its skin was covered in folds with a texture like armor, its four short legs were thick, it had two rather cute little ears, and a sharp horn on its nose.

Yet everyone present, including the five new students who knew a little about magical creatures, subconsciously gave a negative answer.

Because it was too massive.

Its broad body looked slightly clumsy, but it didn't feel fat at all, simply because it stood about three stories tall.

The "rhinoceros" charged straight at them with an earth-shattering momentum, and they felt an instinctive fear, wanting to run.

This was an awe stemming from their genes, an awe of a power that could easily crush them.

"Do not be afraid." Dumbledore waved his staff, and everyone instantly felt their tense nerves relax.

He smiled and said, "The Pack Rhino is famous for its gentleness."

The Pack Rhino seemed to understand his words and sensed the crowd's panic, so it unconsciously slowed its pace.

When it arrived close by, the five new students and the people on the bench were instantly shrouded in its shadow.

It lowered its head slightly and blinked, then suddenly knelt on its forelimbs, squatted down entirely, and lay on its side, exposing its round belly.

"Uh..." Toby broke free from the suffocating feeling of megalophobia and hesitated, "Headmaster, I think it seems to be..."

He couldn't seem to find the right adjective and scratched his brow in distress. Fortunately, Leon was more familiar with internet slang and spoke up to help him out: "Acting cute."

"That could also be said."

"Then what should we do?" Leon asked quickly.

"If your cat exposed its belly, what would you do?"

"Of course, I'd pet it." After answering confidently, he suddenly froze.

Pet it? It isn't a cat, is it?

Leon looked left and right, hoping to discuss with Toby and Misha whether the Headmaster was teasing him, but the two only returned encouraging looks.

After being dazed for a moment, he realized.

What the? Although the Headmaster confirmed the Pack Rhino had a gentle temper, it's just too big!

Look at those four legs, thick as bridge piers; even if it didn't mean to hurt me, I wouldn't be able to handle it if it just grazed me!

While Leon struggled with whether to take a step forward, the Queen stepped past everyone and arrived at the abdomen of the side-lying Pack Rhino.

Examining the belly crisscrossed with fine gullies, she took off her gloves, curled her fingers slightly, reached out, and gently scratched it back and forth.

The Pack Rhino grunted a few times, lifted its upper legs, and the hind legs pressed underneath swayed to the rhythm of the scratching.

"Headmaster." The Queen tapped lightly on its belly with her other free hand and said with a wondrous expression, "It seems to be enjoying it."

"The Pack Rhino is the main mode of transportation for long-distance shipping. When the first Headmaster of Hogwarts selected it, he was attracted by its gentleness; otherwise, the Magic School could not have relied on it for all supply logistics."

Zhang Mu's introduction had no fabricated elements; the Pack Rhino was also the main mode of transportation for cargo in the Saul Continent.

The others caught the four words "Magic School," and their gazes instantly focused on him.

Toby couldn't help but ask, "I remember the ori... uh, were there other Magic Schools?"

"Of course," Dumbledore smiled, "You will see them when the annual Magic School competition arrives."

Magic School competition?

harry potter was already famous, with a massive fanbase. With the appearance of Hogwarts, even those who were previously uninterested in the original work now treated reading the novel as a daily routine.

After long-term research and analysis, how could they be unfamiliar with the Magic School competition that occupied an entire volume in the original work?

Wino, who had been worrying about the "organization" lately, felt his mind become active.

The seniors at Hogwarts were completely unimpressed by his lobbying, and he was fretting that the channels to contact mages were too narrow; he hadn't expected a pillow to be delivered just as he was getting sleepy.

So his thoughts were no longer on the present, but traveling through time to next year's magic competition.

The Headmaster seemed to notice him zoning out and said sternly, "Wino, I know you are diligent and were checking magical creature data in the library before the class started, but those are only a tiny fraction of magical creatures, and not even all of those kept by the school are included. If you don't listen carefully, you will be in great danger during the practical combat class."

Wino woke up with a start, finding all the surrounding gazes fixed on him, and hurriedly admitted his mistake: "Sorry, Headmaster, I will focus."

"Hmm." With a light, indifferent response, Dumbledore waved his hand toward the sky.

Having received the summons, the Pegasus circling above slowly descended.

Compared to a common horse in appearance, the Pegasus seemed no different, except for its pair of wings.

The Queen left the Pack Rhino and walked curiously toward the Pegasus: "Headmaster, may I approach it?"

"You may try, but its temper is not very good; if it shows signs of resistance, step back."

Hearing this, the Queen worried about agitating the Pegasus, turned back to instruct the reporters to stop taking pictures, and then slowly walked toward it.

When she was about five meters away, it didn't have a violent reaction and continued to lower its head to graze.

The Queen's face showed joy, thinking that if the Headmaster allowed it, she might be able to ride it.

However, just as her hope arose, the Pegasus suddenly raised its head, its gaze fixed on the Queen with wariness, while snorting.

"It seems its mood is a bit bad today." Dumbledore extended his staff, and the Queen was wrapped in magic, floating backward to the bench.

"Alright, everyone." He turned to face the Queen and her entourage, "Your next task is to watch quietly; I am going to start the lesson."

Without waiting for a response, Dumbledore began to explain the habits, preferences, and special abilities of the Pegasus and the Pack Rhino to the five new students.

Later, he summoned more magical creatures.

Most of them came on their own, such as foxes with cyan fur, squirrels with eyes like fire, and other relatively docile magical creatures.

A small portion were led by keepers, including a black tiger with claws larger than a human face, and a hairless cat that looked harmless but was actually extremely ferocious.

And what shocked everyone the most was the giant snake that appeared last.

Its scales would change color according to the surrounding environment; when it just left the woods, it was like withered yellow leaves, but in the blink of an eye, it turned the green of the grass.

Clearly, this was a born assassin and killer.

But its body, coiled up like a small hill, refuted this impression.

This class lasted a long time; Dumbledore lectured from morning until evening. During this time, he worried that the Queen and the reporters would not be able to handle not having a drop of water, but they declined his kindness without any hesitation and sat on the bench with great interest until dark.

After the giant snake was led away by the keeper, Dumbledore said with a solemn expression, "Have you received the letters?"

The new students nodded.

"Very good, I am very pleased with your courage." He looked gratified, then said seriously, "The practical combat class starts tomorrow; now I will assign your coursework."

Seeming not to expect such a hasty announcement, the five were stunned for a moment before hurriedly straightening their backs, which had slumped slightly from fatigue.

"It seems there are Evil Sorcerers conducting suspicious activities in Hogsmeade recently; you are responsible for going to investigate whether it is true."

"Headmaster Grandpa." Misha raised her hand, using a different address to try and build rapport, "What should we do after finding out?"

"Adapt to the situation."

Wino followed Misha's example and raised his hand to ask, but Dumbledore waved his hand to interrupt: "That is all the mission intelligence; you will depart early tomorrow morning."

Subsequently, he called Hagrid to take the Queen and the others to the arranged rooms to rest.

Before leaving, the Queen asked curiously, "Hasn't Ms. Rowling returned? I heard she has been looking forward to close contact with magical creatures for a long time; why didn't I see her today?"

"She..." Recalling yesterday, Dumbledore was somewhat helpless, "She found something more interesting."

Seeing that the Headmaster was unwilling to say more, the Queen did not ask further. After saying goodbye with an elegant posture, she followed Hagrid toward the dormitory area.

The new students were going to perform a dangerous mission tomorrow and didn't want to waste time, so they chased after the group.

With the matter here concluded, Zhang Mu first went to the arsenal to widen the area, preparing in advance for the weapon production line that would arrive soon.

Afterward, he opened the door above the NH coast and returned to reality.

As soon as he returned, Zhang Mu immediately came to the Bureau Chief's room to see how far the exchange work in China had progressed.

Coincidentally, the Bureau Chief was discussing related topics with Yue Ruo and Zhao Qi.

Standing to the side and listening for a while, he roughly understood the progress.

Adhering to the principle of "one step slow, every step slow," they had already compiled the list of top-tier weapons within a few days.

The reason for such speed, aside from the leadership's eagerness to develop the moon, was also Zhang Mu's unsparing efforts to display his power on Blue Planet.

At first, some people were indeed worried that handing over the country's cutting-edge technology just like that was too rash.

However, a colleague immediately laughed, "What technology must we develop to defeat that Mountain Rock Giant? What about Dumbledore, who repelled the Mountain Rock Giant? What about Immortal Xu, who suppressed Dumbledore with a single sword? What about Immortal Xu's master? What about the elders in the sect?"

Once several rhetorical questions were posed, no one had any objections.

After all, what he said was a fact. Just a single Fallen Spirit, coming and going without a trace, had left various countries helpless, all cowering in corners and shivering, praying that the terrifying demon would not land on their own coastlines.

Moreover, they had all viewed the video footage of Immortal Xu in action.

None of humanity's current reconnaissance technology could detect his presence, and his slight movements could split mountains and break rivers. Even if humanity threw out its trump card, nuclear weapons, they couldn't lock onto the target location, so how could they launch it?

Just like that, the exchange of weapons for "Stone" was quickly implemented, and soon Zhang Mu would be able to receive samples and the production line.

Besides this, the Bureau Chief and the others also chatted for a while about the reaction after the "Trial" video was released.

Undoubtedly, the official website of the Special Investigation Bureau was once again paralyzed by the swarming netizens.

After the technical department staff urgently repaired it, the video had already spread across the entire internet.

Not to mention the reviews, the first batch of UP hosts who successfully squeezed into the official website to download the video and then uploaded it to Bilibili were grinning from ear to ear.

Ever since the supernatural appeared and became active on Blue Planet, the attention of netizens had never wavered.

It was just that everyone had to work, and the time for the Special Investigation Bureau to release data was random. They couldn't stare at it every day, so they looked everywhere for stable, first-to-repost video uploaders—known as UP hosts on Bilibili.

Consequently, those who were fast at collecting data were naturally followed by everyone.

Plus, as long as it was a video about supernatural events, the completion rate was far ahead of other types, so UP hosts were keen to invest their energy.

This time, the long-awaited trial process was uploaded, and even with the terrifying length of seventy-two hours, the completion rate reached a staggering ninety-nine percent.

They earned quite a lot of website rewards, and their followers were skyrocketing; how could they not be happy?

What about those UP hosts who missed the first batch? Could they only regret being slow?

No, no, no. The so-called strong are those who never complain about the environment; if there is no channel, they open up a channel.

They took a different approach by collecting the more interesting comments under the trial video, then selected and integrated them, and finally uploaded them.

Although the popularity was not as explosive as the first batch of UP hosts, they finally managed to get a sip of soup.

The Bureau Chief and the others were naturally not ignorant of this.

Chatting about those comments, Lin Miao took out her Mobile Phone and spat, "A UP host started a poll: If you were lucky enough to go to Jinshui Town, where would you most want to visit?"

Yue Ruo blinked: "How many options are there?"

"Four. The green hills outside the town, the Jinshui Town jail, the Jinshui Town Government Officials office, and..."

Speaking of the last one, Lin Miao hesitated, her face blushing.

This made Zhao Qi anxious. He hated being kept in suspense the most and urged, "Tell me quickly?"

"Jinxiang Tower."

"Isn't that the brothel in Jinshui Town?" the Bureau Chief asked in astonishment.

Zhao Qi suddenly realized, raised his hand to scratch the back of his head: "The fourth one must have the most votes."

Lin Miao, who had shyly turned her head to the other side, snapped her head back: "How did Brother Zhao know?"

"Uh, guessed it."

Lin Miao clearly didn't believe it and stared at him suspiciously. Zhao Qi hadn't done anything, yet cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Yue Ruo waved her hand to help him out: "Men are just like that."

Here, the Bureau Chief, sitting by the computer desk, pinched his chin and crossed his legs: "Immortal Xu said that as long as there are no disciples training, we can go back, at most five people... Hmm... You also know that there are many rumors and gossip on the internet recently. Immortal Xu won't take them seriously, but what if he thinks our ability is not good enough?"

Zhao Qi didn't quite understand and asked blankly: "What does that mean?"

"Aren't there five spots? We allocate..."

Halfway through, Lin Miao suddenly became alert: "Bureau Chief, Ye Ming promised to take me!"

Realizing this, Zhao Qi and Yue Ruo also said with dissatisfaction: "Hasn't public opinion improved after the video was released? Besides, if we find strangers to go, Immortal Xu might not agree."

The three of them chimed in one after another, and the Bureau Chief was a bit embarrassed at first.

After all, this counted as an internal employee benefit given by Immortal Xu; taking it without permission was indeed a bit excessive.

But upon second thought, isn't this also for the country?

So the Bureau Chief slammed the table and stood up: "Argue, argue, what are you arguing about! You want to go, don't I? I was also planning to go to Jin... cough, Jinshui Town for a trip."

The three were stunned and all shrank their necks. Finally, Lin Miao asked weakly: "Then what should we do?"

"How about this." The Bureau Chief thought for a moment, "This time, allocate two spots. For the remaining three, Yue Ruo, Lin Miao, and Ye Ming, you go first. Zhao Qi and I will wait for the next trip."

As soon as Zhao Qi heard that his name wasn't on the list this time, he was about to stand up and question it in dissatisfaction, but perhaps thinking of something, he sat back down halfway through standing.

Then he and the Bureau Chief exchanged a tacit glance, everything implied without words.

"Alright, it's settled." The Bureau Chief withdrew his gaze and waved his hand, "Lin Miao, you happen to be going to visit Ye Ming, so go now. Please ask the Kunpeng Immortal to send you to the Mountain Gate, and by the way, ask for Immortal Xu's opinion."

Lin Miao nodded and turned to leave the room.