Chapter 49: Disagree and Leave

Murphy then led everyone on a tour of the entire research institute, introducing them to their future work environment.

The institute had a total of nineteen floors. The first floor housed conference rooms for regular meetings and presentations. Floors two to six were residential areas, each with 40 rooms and over twenty ordinary small laboratories for simple research.

The seventh floor was dedicated to magical plant experiments, the eighth to potion experiments, the ninth was a library, the tenth a dining hall, the eleventh for rest and entertainment, the twelfth for magical creature experiments, and the thirteenth for spell experiments.

Floors fourteen to eighteen were residential areas, similar to floors two to six, while the nineteenth floor housed mechanical spaces.

The layout centered around the tenth floor, symmetrically placing most functional areas in the middle and residential areas on the sides, reducing travel for those on the edge and facilitating communication among researchers.

The institute, aside from these researchers, also employed over two hundred staff, including janitors and chefs, to maintain the residential and functional areas. Murphy originally planned to hire house-elves for these tasks, but having not found a suitable channel to purchase them, he had to rely on non-magical staff for now.

After introducing the layout, Murphy began to explain the working system.

"The first task for everyone entering the institute is actually to learn," Murphy stated. "In the wizarding world, magical education has a very mature system. I've prepared a set of textbooks from the magical world for everyone, covering all standard courses."

"I will assign another wizard as your tutor to answer any queries during your studies."

"Normally, young wizards spend seven years on this curriculum. Since you're not wizards and can't cast spells, you'll only need to learn the theoretical aspects. We'll expedite the process, aiming for everyone to gain sufficient knowledge of the wizarding world's magic within two months."

Reading papers and acquiring new knowledge were routine for researchers, so they found this level of study manageable.

"This is just to give you a general understanding of wizarding world magic, helping you find research directions in the future. However, we still plan to conduct a few exams to assess your learning outcomes."

"In the library, we have all the knowledge of the magical world I'm aware of, subscribing to hundreds of cutting-edge journals and keeping them updated. You can learn there anytime."

"As for the work system, the invitation clearly states you'll work here for over a year without leaving the institute."

"Except in very special circumstances like medical emergencies, no outside visits are allowed. Unnecessary external communication is also restricted, with all your correspondence being reviewed. Any breach of confidentiality will result in a fine of at least five hundred thousand pounds and a prison sentence of at least three years."

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

"Given the special nature of this research, I believe you understand why our confidentiality clauses are so strict. In fact, we'll use magical means to ensure secrecy. I'll explain this to avoid risks due to ignorance."

"Firstly, we'll include a magical oath in the agreement, ensuring confidentiality outside the institute. Any intentional breach will cause severe physical discomfort."

"Believe me, you wouldn't want to experience that. If anyone resigns, we'll lift the spell and cast a memory charm, making them forget their research experience."

"What?!" The researchers erupted in protest.

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

"Erasing memories! That's evil!"

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

"Quiet!" Murphy quelled the uproar. "Anyone disagreeing with this term may leave. I'll erase your memories of the past few hours and send you back."

The noise from the crowd halved immediately.

Someone stood up, asking, "If you can erase our memories, how can we ensure our safety?"

"I could've just erased your memories without telling you. My honesty should indicate something. We won't tamper with your memories unnecessarily. Your intellect and knowledge are what we value most."

Murphy didn't offer substantial assurances, but the questioner didn't pursue further, realizing that any "guarantee" was meaningless under these conditions.

"How is this different from extortion! Our health and personalities are under your control, a complete violation of human rights!" a white woman protested.

Murphy shrugged. "Disagree and leave. I can stop violating your rights."

The commotion gradually subsided.

The attractive salary and historic research opportunities provided by Umbrella Corporation were compelling, but it was unrealistic to expect no demands or restrictions in return. Moreover, a lack of such might be more unsettling, implying no commitment from the other party.

Finally, a physicist stood up. "If leaving the institute means losing our memories, how do we retain our research outcomes?"

Murphy replied, "You can't own them. All outcomes in the institute belong to Umbrella Corporation."

"However, we respect your intellectual contributions. In the future, when these results can be published, your names will be listed as co-first authors alongside Umbrella Corporation. These terms will be specified in the agreement."

This clause raised no major objections, as without Umbrella Corporation, they couldn't access magic, let alone research it. Co-authorship was fair.

The question remained, "If our memories are to be erased, how can we ensure these agreements remain effective?"

Murphy explained, "Firstly, you can immediately receive or send physical rewards from research to your families."

"Secondly, we'll provide a code to encrypt the titles, keywords, and main contributions of your papers. You can send the encrypted information to your family periodically, ensuring your work isn't stolen."

"Thirdly, if we find better ways to maintain secrecy in the future, we might consider not erasing your memories."

Murphy's explanations didn't entirely dispel unease, but they showed he didn't view them as expendables.

After further clarifying confidentiality clauses and ownership of results, seeing no further questions, Murphy added, "One last point about the reward system."