Chapter 58: 58: Halo 1500

Sometimes, Sheen felt that wizards were like barbarians clad in robes.

The reason for this realization came from a painting hanging beneath the stands—

*“Gant the 'Violent Hand' is the Winner.”*

It depicted a scene from ancient German pillar-fighting, a very famous painting.

In the image, a group of wizards held sharpened broomsticks, surrounding a wizard with a rope tied around his waist, behind which hung a large, inflated "bladder."

This wizard had to exert every ounce of his strength using magic to repel the attacking wizards and protect the "bladder" behind him from being destroyed.

If that alone weren't enough to trigger Sheen's thought, the speechless truth was that this "bladder" belonged to a fire dragon.

This meant that with every match, a fire dragon would lose its... "bladder."

Sheen suspected this might be an entirely fabricated lie concocted by wizards to demonstrate their martial prowess and showcase their dominance to the magical world.

Much like how some hunters hang animal heads in their homes.

Yet, the wizards' obsession with "bladders" was indeed quite strange.

Beneath the north stands,

A painting hung of Ireland's once-prosperous stilt-fire-barrel competition,

A theme frequently sung in many Irish wizarding folk songs.

The legendary wizard "The Fearless" Fingal, depicted in the painting, was rumored to have been a champion of the stilt-fire-barrel race.

The contestants in the painting carried a "dom," or ball, one after another, quickly navigating through a series of flaming wooden barrels suspended high in the air on stilts.

The winner was the contestant who successfully guided the dom through all the barrels at the highest speed without catching fire along the way.

The ball was a sheep's bladder.

Then there was the painting of backward broomstick riding beneath the western stands.

Athletes rode their broomsticks backward, using the bristle end to strike a bladder back and forth between a circle of hedges; a hit scored a point.

Those used pig bladders.

Undoubtedly, these bladders were punctured and exploded after use.

Sheen silently felt fortunate for the current audience; if this tradition had unfortunately survived, Quidditch matches today might be even more "exciting."

After all, they would include an interactive post-explosion segment for the spectators.

As the portraits on the stands gradually receded, Sheen walked toward a shed filled with broomsticks.

A special spell seemed to have been cast here;

Sheen could see raindrops falling slowly on the roof, yet they never managed to splash into the shed.

"Madam Hooch."

Sheen approached the grey-haired lady with anticipation.

"Mr. Green, punctuality is indeed a good habit,"

With a wave of Madam Hooch's hand, a broomstick leapt into her grasp,

"We have quite a lot to do today. Do you see those tall poles? That is the focus of our training today."

Sheen raised his hand in the same manner, and a broomstick leapt into his hand in the same way. He looked toward the Quidditch goalposts alongside Madam Hooch,

The synchronized movement made him look like a miniature version of Madam Hooch.

Soon, the large and small wizards flew close to the Quidditch goalposts.

"Since you are already able to hover and fly normally, why not try some rapid turns?"

Madam Hooch's voice was incredibly clear even amidst the whistling wind, as if she were using some form of magic.

Under her guidance, Sheen made many attempts circling the poles.

Madam Hooch's requirement was

"While flying at maximum speed, the distance of your turns around the pole must not exceed three feet, and you must be able to turn at various angles."

This was undoubtedly a difficult goal.

After all, this was only Sheen's third day handling a flying broomstick.

But magic never follows logic.

It only follows talent.

【You have practiced flying at a Proficient standard once, Proficiency +10】

【You have practiced flying at a Proficient standard once, Proficiency +10】

【You have practiced flying at an Expert standard once, Proficiency +50】

...

Sheen heard the continuous chime of the panel notifications. Guided by some form of instinct, his movements became increasingly crisp.

He began to subconsciously seek the most effective and effortless postures.

At the same time, his connection with the broom grew stronger; he could almost sense every trace of magic infused with his own will acting within the broom.

That was the true secret to completely mastering a flying broomstick.

Sheen couldn't help but recall Madam Hooch's words

A wizard who truly understands flying is one who commands the broom.

This "commanding" might not only exist in flight.

Perhaps it also exists in potions...

Sheen remembered the wonderful magical sensation he felt in the cauldron while using the improved ritual.

Just like commanding a broom, perhaps potion brewing also required a wizard to guide the magic?

As he was thinking this, he found that his mastery of turning had hit a bottleneck.

The reason was that the broom beneath him was too old; the operation of some charms, or perhaps a set of composite charms, was experiencing various degrees of issues.

Coupled with its complex array of charms serving different purposes,

It easily reminded him of certain "spaghetti code" created by programmers in his previous life.

He wondered how this broom was even still running...

As expected, magic was simply too comprehensive.

"Surprising progress!"

Madam Hooch naturally took Sheen's broom and guided the hovering object to a separate storage area,

"You intend to fly back to Ravenclaw Tower, don't you?"

Sheen looked up in surprise, then understood.

He certainly wasn't the only wizard with such a thought, and Ravenclaw Tower was famously high.

Even the physical fitness of Ravenclaws tended to decline while climbing the stairs;

If you happened to be on the Ravenclaw winding staircase at night, you would hear many young wizards offering rather "intimate" greetings to the tower.

"Many Ravenclaw students practice extra at the Quidditch pitch every year,

But very few students ever receive a flying permit..."

As Madam Hooch spoke, Sheen felt a hint of nervousness.

Unfortunately, Madam Hooch only vaguely mentioned the rarity of the permit—it appeared almost once every few years—but she did not explicitly state how to obtain it.

As they left the pitch, Madam Hooch folded her arms and handed Sheen a piece of parchment.

The moment Sheen saw it, he silently memorized it

*Regarding Flying Permits for First-Year Hogwarts Wizards*

—Master at least ten common flying techniques;

—Obtain permission from a Hogwarts Flight Instructor;

—Pass a flying test;

—After passing the test, own a broomstick of quality equal to or higher than a Nimbus 1500 (Updated 1990).

Sheen put the parchment into his bag, pressing it against his *Advanced Potion-Making* book.

With this material, his goal became clearer, but what weighed heavily on Sheen's heart was that

The flying permit explicitly mentioned the need for a Nimbus 1500, which was undoubtedly a difficult feat to achieve.

(End of Chapter)