Chapter 12: Morpheus Annon (Edited)

After Murphy took the coin, Locke left.

Murphy stayed in place for a while before pocketing the coin.

Gringotts had grown suspicious of him, making currency exchange through the bank no longer viable. In reality, Locke was Murphy's only option at this point.

And frankly, he quite liked the goblin.

Far more endearing than most of the stodgy, stubborn wizards.

After sweeping through Diagon Alley's apothecaries again with his Galleons and arranging for future purchases, Murphy returned to the Darkhome ancestral home.

After processing the herbs according to routine, he breathed a sigh of relief.

This time's haul was substantial, just breaking them down and mixing them was quite the effort.

But, it still wasn't enough.

And ferrying materials back and forth from Diagon Alley himself wasn't a sustainable solution.

Not to mention how easily it drew unwanted attention, the back-and-forth was just too bothersome.

"We must produce our own materials. Grow our own Dittany."

The wizarding population is small, with minimal demand for Dittany, thus met by the sporadic cultivation in wizards' front and back yards.

But this output is utterly insufficient for the muggle world.

After all, even emptying the wizarding world of Dittany might hardly meet muggles' demand for the essence of Dittany—now known as Dittany Medicine.

"Upon returning, I'll start setting up a Dittany farm."

"But before the farm is up and running, perhaps I should hire someone to take over these menial tasks."

Gathering and processing materials, tasks that required no special skill but were time-consuming, were something he was too lazy to do himself anymore.

However, this person had to be a wizard.

Thinking it over, Murphy's mind landed on a freckled round face.

You'll do, Potioneer of Poop!

He penned a letter.

The content was as follows:

"Dear Alex Wood:

Your potions are crap!

Slughorn and Jiggers' Apothecary is also crap!

Continuing to stay in that crap heap opened by those idiot brothers will only ruin you.

Come work for me, and I'll show you the future of potion-making."

Signed: Peter Parker.

After sending the owl to Slughorn and Jiggers' Apothecary, Murphy didn't bother with it further and turned to find Patrick.

"I need you to help me acquire some land."

Patrick, now used to Murphy's sudden appearances and whimsical ideas, didn't question him but simply asked, "What for?"

"For growing medicinal herbs."

Patrick understood, "Dittany for Dittany Medicine?"

Murphy nodded.

Patrick thought for a moment, made a few phone calls, and then told Murphy, "Agricultural land is mostly barren and easy to apply for, but land suitable for growing medicinal herbs, which must meet at least level 3 standards, is hard to come by. Plus, considering future expansion and secrecy, open land isn't suitable for us."

The scarcity of arable land in Britain and the difficulty of acquiring it were expected by Murphy, but he hadn't considered the issue of secrecy.

"What's your suggestion?"

"Have you heard of hydroponics or vertical farming?"

Murphy hadn't really considered this angle, mainly due to his lack of knowledge about current muggle technology, "Is that already possible?"

Patrick nodded, "The technology is very mature now and popular in countries with scarce farmland. Last year, the area of hydroponic cultivation in the Netherlands reached 2,500 hectares. Technically, it's not a problem."

The concept of hydroponics or vertical farming wasn't new; the real barrier to its development was cost.

It only made sense in regions where arable land was extremely scarce and the cost of hydroponic or vertical farming was less than traditional cultivation, or the produce from such methods had significantly higher value than crops grown traditionally.

But these limitations weren't an issue in Murphy's view.

The profit margin for Dittany Medicine was so high that even if the cultivation cost was several times higher than the conventional method, it was still entirely acceptable.

"This idea is brilliant!"

Hydroponics would free agricultural production from land constraints, leaving only light as a factor for location choice, greatly expanding the range of possible locations.

Moreover, compared to vast open farmlands, a closed building is obviously easier to manage and can ensure its secrecy.

Find a secluded place, encircle a barren land, erect a few buildings, and who would know what you're growing? Or even that you're growing anything at all?

Plus, hydroponics, compared to traditional soil cultivation, significantly increases environmental control, aiding in the study and cultivation of plant properties.

The entire farm could serve as a Dittany research base, aligning perfectly with Murphy's initial idea of integrating production and research.

This model could also be applied to other potions in the future.

"Let's do it! Draft a plan, and let's move forward as quickly as possible," Murphy said, "By the way, have the second batch of orders arrived?"

"Even if you didn't ask, I would have reported to you," Patrick said, barely containing his smile, "Dittany Medicine is a hit. Our orders are now backlogged three months!"

"That quickly? The materials I got this time can only make about five thousand bottles of essence..."

"No worries," Patrick consoled, "I've announced our capacity as fifty thousand units a day, so your materials should last us a while."

Five thousand bottles of essence were about fifteen liters, translating to about 1.5 million units of products requiring only a few drops of essence each.

If they shipped at a rate of fifty thousand units a day, it would last a month.

Murphy breathed a sigh of relief, "You really have a way, starvation marketing, brilliant!"

"This is just a temporary measure, the farm's development is urgent, I'll finalize it as soon as possible."

"By the way, you mentioned Dittany Medicine is a hit, how so?"

Patrick handed Murphy several newspapers, "Take a look, and you'll see."

Murphy glanced at the mainstream muggle newspapers: The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, etc.

And then at the pages Patrick had carefully folded.

"Miracle! Magical Dittany Medicine!"

"A miraculous medicine emerges, experts claim it will change the world"

"Death's another defeat, the miraculous Dittany Medicine!"

"Disruptive miracle drug, what exactly is Umbrella Corporation?"

"Gold Medal Salesman Strikes Again, This Time, Creating an Era!"

"Sold Out! Booked till six months later, what's so magical about Dittany Medicine?"

"The Creator of the Miracle Drug, an Interview with Patrick"

Murphy skimmed through, finding mostly praise and numerous statements of shock from the medical community, which greatly improved his mood and satisfied his vanity.

This was more like it. The effect of potions on muggles was a dimension-breaking attack; such a reaction was only natural.

Unlike those wizards who acted as if they'd seen it all, making him uncomfortable to show too much surprise for fear of being considered a bumpkin, it was truly stifling.

"By the way, Patrick, you didn't mention me, did you?"

To avoid drawing the wizarding world's attention as Umbrella Corporation's influence expanded, Murphy had registered under a pseudonym, "Morpheus Annon."

All related documentation was fabricated; as long as Patrick didn't speak up, no one could link Murphy to any information through that name.

"No, I didn't. But this might lead to misunderstandings, making others think I'm the actual controller of the company."

"That's exactly what I want."

With Patrick drawing fire, Murphy was happy to develop quietly from behind the scenes.

Staying low-key, accumulating resources slowly but surely—at least for now, it wasn't time for him to step into the limelight.

What he didn't know was that someone had already noticed him.

In a sinister ancient manor unreachable by muggles, a man with pale gold hair put down a letter, furrowed his brows, and after a while, spoke into the darkness: "Bring Slughorn to me, immediately!"

As the story unfolds, readers are urged to follow along, lest they miss out on the unfolding drama, for truly, it could lead to dire consequences...