Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 49 If you disagree, then leave.

Murphy then gave everyone a tour of the entire research institute, introducing them to their future working environment.

The entire research institute has nineteen floors. The first floor is a conference room used for regular meetings and results presentations.

The second to sixth floors are the accommodation area, with 40 rooms on each floor. In addition, there are more than 20 small, ordinary laboratories where some simple research work can be carried out.

The seventh floor is the magical plant laboratory, the eighth floor is the potion laboratory, the ninth floor is the library, the tenth floor is the restaurant, the eleventh floor is the rest and entertainment area, the twelfth floor is the magical creature laboratory, and the thirteenth floor is the spell laboratory.

Floors fourteen through eighteen are the same as floors two through six, serving as accommodation areas. The nineteenth floor, however, is the server room.

In terms of layout, the research institute is symmetrically arranged with the tenth floor as the center, placing most of the functional areas in the middle and the accommodation areas on both sides. This reduces the travel pressure on the outer floors and facilitates communication among researchers.

In addition to the researchers, there are more than 200 staff members in the entire research institute, including cleaners to keep the living and functional areas clean, chefs in the restaurant, and so on.

Murphy originally planned to recruit some house-elves to do these jobs, but he hasn't found a suitable way to buy them yet, so he has to let Muggle staff do them for now.

After introducing the general layout of the research institute, Murphy began to explain the work system.

"The first task for everyone entering the research institute is actually to study," Murphy said. "In the wizarding world, magic education has a very mature system. I have prepared a set of textbooks for each of you, covering all the standard courses in the wizarding world."

"I will appoint another wizard as your mentor to answer any questions you may have about your studies."

"This course usually takes young wizards seven years to complete, but since you are not wizards and cannot actually cast spells, you only need to learn the theoretical knowledge. We will speed up the process and strive to ensure that everyone has enough basic magical knowledge of the wizarding world within two months."

Reading papers to supplement new knowledge is a normal part of researchers' daily routine, so this level of study intensity is actually quite ordinary for them.

"Although this is just to give everyone a general understanding of the basics of magic in the wizarding world, and to provide a reference for you to better find research directions in your future studies, we still plan to give you a few tests to check your learning outcomes."

"In addition, the library contains all the knowledge of the magical world that I know of so far. We subscribe to hundreds of cutting-edge journals and keep them updated, so everyone can go there to learn at any time."

"Furthermore, the invitation letter clearly states that you will be working here for more than a year, during which time you cannot leave the research institute."

"Unless in extremely special circumstances, such as needing to go out for medical treatment, you are not allowed to leave your home. You are also not allowed to contact the outside world unless absolutely necessary, and all your letters and communications will be reviewed. If any breach of confidentiality is discovered, you will face a penalty of at least £500,000 and at least three years in prison."

"We will sign an agreement later to ensure everyone understands this."

"I believe everyone now understands the unique nature of this research and why our confidentiality agreements are so strict. In fact, we will use magical means to ensure that no one leaks information. I will explain this to everyone to ensure that no one takes risks due to ignorance."

"First, when we sign the agreement later, we will include a magical oath. This magic will ensure that everyone keeps secrets outside the research institute. Any intentional leaks will result in serious physical discomfort."

"Believe me, you don't want to experience that feeling. If someone leaves, we will undo the spell and cast a forgetting spell on them to make them forget this research experience."

"What?!" The researchers below the stage immediately erupted in chaos.

"How could you do this! The invitation didn't mention this!"

"Erasing memories! That's too evil!"

"This is a violation of human rights! I disagree!"

"Quiet!" Murphy silenced the shouts. "Anyone who disagrees with this clause can leave. I'll erase your memories of the last few hours and send you back."

The noise from the crowd immediately halved.

Someone stood up and asked, "If you can erase our memories, how can we guarantee our safety?"

"I could have simply deleted your memory without telling you all this. I think my honesty speaks volumes. We don't manipulate your memories casually; in fact, your minds and knowledge are what we value most."

Murphy didn't offer any substantial guarantees, but the questioner didn't press further. He understood that without even being able to guarantee his memory, any so-called "guarantee" from the other party was actually a lie.

"What's the difference between this and extortion! Our health and dignity are under your control; this is an absolute violation of human rights!" A white woman stood up to protest.

Murphy shrugged. "If you disagree, leave. I can stop violating your human rights."

The commotion gradually subsided.

With salaries several times higher than the market rate and research opportunities that would make history, it's highly unlikely that the Umbrella Corporation would make no demands or impose any restrictions after offering such enticing conditions.

Moreover, that might actually make things more unsettling.

That might mean that the other party has no intention of paying the price at all.

Finally, one physicist stood up. "If leaving the institute means losing our memories, how can we retain our research findings?"

Murphy: "You can't own it. Everything that's been produced in the institute belongs to Umbrella Corporation."

"However, we respect your intellectual contributions, and therefore, when these results are made public in the future, your names will be listed alongside Umbrella Corporation as the first authors of the paper. These terms will be specified in the agreement."

There wasn't much disagreement about this point, since without the Umbrella Corporation providing the means, they would never have been able to access magic, let alone research it. Being listed as a co-author doesn't put them at a disadvantage.

The question is, "If our memories are to be erased, how can we ensure that these agreements will still be in effect?"

Murphy: "First of all, the material rewards for the research results can be claimed immediately or sent to your family members."

"Secondly, we will provide a password to encrypt the title, keywords, and main contributions of your papers. You can send the encrypted text to your family at any time and send the key intermittently during your work period until you leave the company. This will ensure that your work will not be stolen by others."

"Third, if we develop better methods of maintaining confidentiality in the future, we will consider not erasing your memories."

Murphy's explanation still couldn't completely dispel the unease, but at least it proved that Murphy didn't intend to treat them as expendable commodities.

After explaining the confidentiality clauses and ownership of the results, and seeing that no one had any further questions, Murphy said, "One last thing to explain. It relates to the reward system."

(End of this chapter)