Chapter 75: Murphy's Auror Office

When Murphy entered the Siren's Song again, the atmosphere was somewhat peculiar.

The usually bustling tavern suddenly fell quiet, with everyone sneakily watching him.

Feeling slightly puzzled, Murphy scanned the room, but no one dared meet his gaze, quickly averting their eyes.

Approaching a table, he intended to inquire about the situation, but the person there immediately stood up, wiping the stool clean for him, "Lord Murphy, please have a seat."

Murphy found it amusing but also understood the situation.

He had just toppled an Auror Office Head and, in doing so, established his prestige among these fringe wizards.

Their instincts were sharp indeed.

Yet, this sense of respect wasn't entirely unpleasant. Without sitting down, he thanked the man and picked up a drink from the table, downing it in one go before announcing to everyone, "I'm in a good mood today, I'll cover everyone's expenses here!"

The patrons, momentarily stunned, soon erupted in cheers: "Murphy! Long live Murphy!"

Ignoring the now lively crowd, Murphy headed to a back room where Lisandro personally opened the door for him, "Per master's instruction, you're a VIP here. From now on, this room is only for you and your friends' use."

Murphy looked at Lisandro with interest, "Lisandro, I actually preferred your more defiant demeanor before."

Lisandro's face twitched but he didn't object, making Murphy feel slightly embarrassed, "Just a joke, don't mind it. Thank my host for me."

Inside the room waited the fairy Lock.

Now, Lock was dressed in an expensive-looking suit, with gold-trimmed pointed shoes, three gold chains around his neck, and five large gemstone rings on his fingers.

Sheesh.

Who is this flashy upstart?

Why such an ostentatious outfit? "Lock, made some money recently?" Murphy asked.

"Thanks to you, I've just been promoted to the manager of the Gringotts Bank's Fund Operations Department," Lock replied, his ugly face breaking into a smile.

Even without understanding non-human expressions well, Murphy could tell he was quite proud.

"Congratulations."

"It's all thanks to your care," Lock said.

When the fairy said this, his tone was sincere. Indeed, his promotion to this managerial position was thanks to Murphy. Murphy had entrusted Lock to manage his assets in the wizarding world, granting him considerable leeway, such as investing in quality products or projects under certain conditions without prior notification.

Over the past half year, with Murphy's substantial assets and an economic acumen far surpassing the wizarding world's standards, Lock had indeed brought in some profits for Murphy.

Simultaneously, his performance at Gringotts stood out, leading to his promotion.

Without Murphy, given his bloodline disadvantage, it would have been impossible for him to reach this position in his lifetime.

Now the fairy, who had been looked down upon by his family and peers since childhood, developed a penchant for showing off, wishing he could wear "I am a manager" on his forehead and parade around. The outfit he spent a fortune on was a manifestation of this tendency.

Murphy understood this.

Whether human or fairy, we're all worldly. Isn't the point of living to feel superior?

Finally feeling superior, why not show off? Wouldn't that just be suffocating? "This time, I called you here for two things," Murphy said, sitting next to the fairy to avoid being dazzled by his gold chains.

"The first thing, I'm thinking of opening a shop and want your advice."

"What kind of shop?"

"The name, I haven't decided yet, but its main business would be similar to a Muggle security company. You know what that is, right?" Seeing the fairy shake his head, Murphy had to explain, "A security company provides safety services, like protecting a wizard's personal safety, or securing facilities from intrusion, protecting valuable items from theft..."

The fairy still seemed puzzled, "Sounds like the job of Aurors and Gringotts."

"True, but not quite the same. Aurors won't protect an ordinary wizard, but what if that wizard is threatened by another wizard? Aurors generally don't handle such matters, but a security company can protect that wizard to prevent harm. And Gringotts can't protect a wizard's home assets and collections, right?"

"Take the Malfoy family, for instance. I heard their house was set on fire recently, burning everything. Many precious wines, valuable Dark Arts items, all gone. If there were a security company, such an incident could have been prevented."

Lock: "..."

Wasn't it you who set the Malfoy house on fire?

Do you think I'm as clueless as those Aurors?

It's all over the streets! But the fairy dared not speak or question, just agreeing with whatever the boss said.

"I get the idea. But most wizards have wands and learned some combat magic at school... And now it's not the time of the Wizarding War, Dark Wizards are all captured, everyone's safe, who would need such security services?"

Murphy: "It doesn't matter if they don't need it. I do."

Huh? Lock was confused. You open a shop and then buy your services? What kind of strategy is this? But then, a light bulb went off in his head, and he was terrified by his own thought.

Murphy is planning to build his own Auror army!

Truly the rumored new Dark Lord!

Already preparing to build his private force?

And more terrifyingly, he doesn't want to follow the previous Dark Lord's path of secret organizations like Death Eaters; he's doing it openly, legally! This is on a scale even greater than the previous Dark Lord.

"This... there's no precedent in the wizarding world..."

"So, there's no law against it, right?" Murphy asked.

Lock nodded.

"Then it's settled," Murphy said. "Think about it, what kind of shop, what name, would best suit my requirements?"

Lock wanted to suggest a "Murphy's Auror Office," with a fitting name like "Murphy's Ministry of Magic," perfectly precise and fitting your requirements.

But he dared not. He was just a slightly clever fairy who wanted to count his gold coins the next day.

So he racked his brains, "How about a Pest Control Shop? Seems somewhat similar to your security company idea."

"No! It's a security company, not a cleaning service." Murphy flatly refused. Pest control? He escaped the Ministry of Magic to avoid dealing with pests, now open a pest control shop? Murphy feared his anxiety might flare up again.

"Then... a Quidditch training camp?" Lock suggested. "We could recruit some young wizards for training..."

"A sports team?" Murphy's thoughts began to open up, "Not a bad idea, but not a sports team. A Dueling Club? Or an Auror Training Program?"

Auror selection is so strict, surely some would want special training, right? Then couldn't he just place those he trained into the Auror force? No, that won't work. Once you pour out water, it's hard to get it back. Infernal Affairs is a prime example.

Better to keep power in your own hands.

"Never mind, let's stick with a wizarding security firm."

"Let's discuss the other matter. How's the search for house-elves going?"

___________________

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT