Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 47 Blue Ocean

The spacious hall seemed to be designed for a grand banquet, with thousands of candle-shaped chandeliers scattered overhead several meters high, while below sat more than a hundred men and women of various appearances.

They were all scholars with some reputation in their respective fields, invited by the Umbrella Corporation from all over the country. The invitation letter clearly stated the salary and employment conditions, and they originally thought they would face an interview, but they did not expect to be brought here.

The hall was filled with buffet food and drinks, and soon a waiter told them they could eat as much as they wanted. The scholars, who were initially a little reserved, gradually relaxed and treated the banquet as a welcome ceremony for the Umbrella Corporation.

Murphy stood on the third-floor railing, looking down at the chaotic scene below. He counted the number of people: "108."

This number is really auspicious.

It's about time; it's time to begin.

With a wave of his wand, the main door at the entrance of the hall slammed shut. Then, with a series of bangs, the other three entrances and windows were also pulled shut by a force.

He had already dispatched the security team of the Chemical Risk Group to a location 200 meters away from the villa to provide security.

Then, he cast a silencing spell downwards, silencing the buzzing discussions.

Then he teleported to the stage below and used "Loud Voice" on his throat.

"Gentlemen," his voice echoed through the hall as if amplified.

"First of all, congratulations on your employment," Murphy said. "Welcome to work for Umbrella Corporation. Regarding salary and other important information, it should have already been stated in the invitation letters I sent you, so I won't go into details here. I believe that at least three times your previous salary should satisfy you. However, I need to reiterate the confidentiality agreement."

"This is the company's most secure and core research and development facility, and therefore has the highest level of confidentiality measures. The terms and conditions also stipulate that once you join the company, you will work here in a closed environment for at least one to three years. Of course, we will revise the agreement every year to ensure that anyone who wants to leave can leave."

"But after leaving this mansion, no one may disclose any research conducted within the mansion in any way. Of course, we will also take measures to ensure that everyone abides by this agreement."

"Is there anyone else who wants to leave? If so, you can leave now. Everything I'm about to say is a company secret. Once you hear that, you can't just leave."

Murphy waited for a minute, and no one wanted to leave.

"Very good, then you are officially hired," Murphy said. "Now I can introduce myself. I am Murphy Annon, the founder of the Umbrella Corporation, and the owner of this mansion."

"I'm sure you're all very curious about what your research is all about."

"If you've chatted with the people around you just now, you'll find that you all come from different fields. Among those present are mathematicians, physicists, biologists, doctors, chemists, engineers, materials scientists, pharmacists, zoologists, botanists, and we've even invited linguists, dancers, conductors, musicians, and writers..."

"Moreover, it is rare for two people to have the same specific area of ​​expertise. For example, this Mr. Cameron Snyder is a computer expert, but his specialization is in algorithms and artificial intelligence."

"And this, Ms. Maria Ford, is also a computer expert, but her specialty is processor architecture and instruction set."

"In addition, you have several colleagues in the field of computer science, such as Nezel Sosa in graphics and visualization, Melita Strickland, an expert in parallel and distributed computing, and Tori Branagh, an expert in cryptography. I believe you have all heard of each other to some extent."

"You are all highly accomplished experts in your respective fields," Murphy said, "but with all due respect, your achievements are still some distance from truly top-tier."

A buzz of discussion immediately arose in the crowd, but no one stood up to refute it.

"I have carefully reviewed the resumes of each and every one of you. You are undoubtedly the most diligent and passionate scholars and experts. You are not lacking in talent, inspiration, or the spirit of hard work. What you lack, sometimes, is just a question that is important and interesting enough."

"Our technology has developed to an explosive stage, just like a big tree. Two hundred years ago, it was a bare trunk. You could find a huge problem branch in any direction. Everyone who contributed to this branch, the problem they faced and solved, played a foundational role in this branch. They are enough to be remembered as pioneers in this field."

"A hundred years ago, almost all the branches of this tree were already labeled with names. Later researchers could only choose smaller branches to delve deeper. But fifty years ago, and even now, technology has grown into an incredibly lush giant tree. What is left for today's researchers are only the more difficult, yet more minute, problems among the branches."

"Modern science and technology are achieved step by step through the accumulation of countless small problems by countless researchers. The era in which a single scientist or a single research project could change the face of an entire field is becoming increasingly rare and difficult."

The audience listened to his speech without much reaction; as researchers, they were already aware of this issue during their professional careers.

Although everyone dreams of becoming a great scientist who can change the world and enters this industry, they also know that it is difficult. Therefore, they usually just regard the so-called "scientific research" as a simple job, not much different from the nine-to-five office workers.

"I believe everyone has accepted the current situation, but I wonder if any of you have ever dreamed of re-entering a blue ocean that no one has ever set foot in before?"

"There are endless unknowns and countless questions there. Every step you take and every achievement you make is like creating a new world! You are no longer insects struggling to crawl on the branches, but giants and gods who plant great trees."

The scholars all looked up at him. Of course they had dreamt such dreams, but such a vast unknown realm no longer existed in reality.

Therefore, their gazes toward Murphy contained only a slight nostalgia arising from recalling their childhood dreams, along with doubt and wariness.

Such words are usually only heard from pseudo-scientists and charlatans.

But Murphy, standing on the podium, appeared extremely confident.

"Today, I will open this door to the unknown for you all."

"But before that, please watch me perform a magic trick."

"Leviosa!"

(End of this chapter)