Chapter 50: Are You Trying to Become a God?

"In short, to facilitate communication and cooperation, everyone's papers will be made public and archived in the library, available for consultation by everyone. Publication of a paper requires approval from at least ten researchers, or myself."

"The reviewers can assign the paper an impact score based on its importance, novelty, and other aspects, and I will ultimately determine this score. Besides receiving material rewards proportionate to the score, it will also contribute to your contribution points."

"Contribution points can be exchanged for more money or even company shares. They can also be used to acquire potions, magic items, and potentially magical creatures like magic pets in the future."

"I've prepared a simple exchange list, which will be updated continuously. In essence, I hope you can experience the joy of studying magic while conducting research."

"Ah!" People discussed eagerly, and the atmosphere grew lively.

Although the utilitarian motivation of gaining research results, material rewards, and leaving a mark in history was significant, for these young researchers, the endless curiosity and thirst for knowledge of the unknown were their unquenchable driving forces, sustaining them through the monotony of research life.

"Mom, we're studying magic! So cool!"

At that moment, a female researcher stood up and asked, "Umbrella Company... I mean, what are your specific requirements?"

"You've tasked us with studying magic. I presume it's not merely to uncover the truth about the world and benefit mankind. Is it for public welfare purposes?"

"If we know your needs and purposes, we can conduct our research more effectively."

Murphy glanced at her. She was a tall blonde woman with delicate, three-dimensional facial features typical of the Germanic people. "Laura Kruger, you're correct."

"My purpose... is straightforward and easy to guess. With almost omnipotent magic at my disposal, there aren't many things I desire."

"First and foremost, it's immortality. Immortality. Despite having almost omnipotent magic, true omnipotence eludes me. Aging and death are still the fate of most wizards, and I refuse to accept that fate."

"On that basis, I seek to become stronger, to acquire more knowledge, to understand more, and to be capable of more. Simply put, I aspire to omniscience and omnipotence."

After a moment of silence, Laura asked, "Are you trying to become a god?"

Murphy shook his head and smiled. "No, I don't want to be a god. At least not the kind of god you're familiar with. I have no interest in controlling others. I simply seek to expand my abilities."

"I understand. You seek evolution."

Murphy nodded, concurring with her assessment.

"One last question," Laura continued, "If it were possible in the future, would you be willing to share this power with others?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we were to discover a way to turn ordinary people into wizards, or if we were to uncover the knowledge of how ordinary wizards can ascend to godhood, would you be willing to share this with others? Or would you prefer to stand alone at the peak?"

Murphy had never pondered this question before.

After a moment of reflection, he replied, "I'm uncertain of my choice. If such a method were truly discovered, ask me again."

Laura nodded understandingly.

As Murphy watched her sit down, he wondered what she had truly gleaned from their exchange.

No further questions were posed. Murphy stood up and said, "If there are no further issues, please proceed to the next room one by one. We'll sign the agreement and administer the magical oath."

...

While Murphy addressed the Muggles, the researchers signed the agreement elsewhere.

Meanwhile, deep underground, in the Auror Headquarters of the Ministry of Magic, within the Director's Office.

Scrimgeour surveyed the stack of reporting letters handed to him by Delis, massaging his temples with a headache. "Are these all reports about Murphy Darkholm?"

"Yes, Director. More and more evidence suggests that Murphy is indeed engaging in actions that violate the Wizarding Secrecy Act!"

"And who are the reports from?"

"Simon Avery, Mathias Nott, Frederica Rozier! ..." Delis rattled off five or six names in succession.

"Hmph, the Twenty-Eight."

"Are you implying these reports are baseless?"

"No, it's likely that Murphy is up to no good, but their intentions aren't pure. They just find this nouveau riche individual too bothersome. Perhaps some of them have business conflicts with Murphy and are using us to eliminate their competitor."

"So, are we to continue standing by?"

Scrimgeour fell silent for a moment before responding, "You've been doing this for some time. What have you discovered?"

"Murphy has recruited over thirty potion brewers, each required to produce at least five or six pots of premium potions daily. However, only a small portion of these potions are sold at his Supreme Potion Store, while the remainder... We suspect he's selling them to Muggles."

"Yet, without clear instructions, we're unable to investigate further."

Scrimgeour pondered for a moment before declaring, "Murphy proved to be exceedingly cunning during his last trial. It's evident

 he's cautious and adept at deception."

"Without concrete evidence, even if we apprehend him, we won't have grounds for action. To prove his guilt, we must secure tangible evidence."

"Send someone disguised as a potion brewer to infiltrate the store, equipped with a Muggle camera. We must obtain definitive proof of his potion sales to Muggles!"

...

Releasing the Thorn Oath to the Muggles and having them sign the agreement required considerable effort on Murphy's part.

Maintaining the Thorn Oath consumed a fixed amount of magical power, and Murphy estimated that after administering the oath to over a hundred Muggles, less than half of his magical reserves remained locked away.

It was difficult to imagine how the ancient Witch Queen managed to govern a small kingdom under such constraints.

For now, the Thorn Oath could only be employed in emergencies. However, when the research team expanded and utilized the Thorn Oath several times over, his magical reserves would be depleted entirely, yet he would still live on.

Currently, the staff in the research institutes refrained from using the Thorn Oath as they lacked access to core secrets. This posed a potential risk in the future, and Murphy needed to procure house-elves to replace them promptly.

Contemplating this, Murphy's desire for the Mind Seal became even stronger.

Nevertheless, tasks had to be completed one step at a time, and his immediate priority was finding a mentor for the Muggle researchers.

Murphy sought out Alex.

"Alex, you have a new assignment."

Alex was sorting through Baiyao's raw materials. He turned around, dark circles evident under his eyes. "Boss, I'm already overwhelmed. I'm breaking down these materials, inspecting and accepting the potions... I'm exhausted..."

Murphy: "Hiss..."

Who was this guy resembling a kidney failure patient?

(End of chapter)