Storytelling

This line of reasoning was impeccably clear and tightly argued, with solid evidence supporting every step. Even the people involved began to wonder, under the barrage of evidence, whether they really had drunk that cup of coffee.

What was even more brilliant was that Umbrella Corporation had not said a single word in its own defense throughout the entire affair. Yet people gradually pieced together the "truth" themselves. This "truth" had not been imposed on them by anyone; they had formed it of their own accord, so they believed in it all the more deeply.

As public opinion reached unprecedented heights, reporters revealed that during the previous London Underground fire, Umbrella Corporation had donated a large batch of White Medicine free of charge, directly saving dozens of severely burned patients. Some had not even been left with a single scar.

Those medicines, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, had been donated for free. Not only had the company not given them any proper publicity, there had not even been a single news report. The drugs had been rushed directly from the factory, without so much as a company logo.

Only the blessing card that read, "May the world know no pain," bore a simple Umbrella logo.

What the hell was this British dumbass?

What the hell was this treasure of a company?

In the end, the entire incident reached its climax with an open letter personally signed by Nobel Prize scholar Rita Levi-Montalcini.

In that letter, Rita published her preliminary verification of Cloud White Medicine's miraculous effects and called on the industry to intensify research into the drug's underlying mechanisms. She believed such research would help clarify the mechanisms of human cell regeneration and greatly advance human medicine.

With endorsement from such an authoritative scientist, Cloud White Medicine's effectiveness received an epic level of validation.

People were practically ready to celebrate. This was not merely an endorsement of Cloud White Medicine—it was the immense fulfillment of everyone's psychological expectations.

Everyone's emotions had been thoroughly stirred up.

Damn pharmaceutical conglomerates!

Pathetic bureaucratic system!

And poor Umbrella Corporation!

What an honest, plain, diligent, simple, kind-hearted kid it was. Yet it had been mercilessly beaten down by this pack of well-dressed beasts. Not only was it nearly finished, but the love of its life—the White Medicine formula—that it had obtained through untold effort and investment was about to be stolen away!

How the hell could anyone tolerate this?!

Men, women, old, and young across Britain all empathized fiercely.

The pharmaceutical conglomerates had to die!

The corrupt bureaucrats had to die!

Umbrella had to rise!

Patrick held the newspapers from the past few days, feeling so happy that he was a little dizzy.

"Public opinion has completely turned around. Everyone is supporting us now!" Patrick said excitedly. "With such a massive wave of public opinion, the committee can't possibly insist on going its own way!"

Still, he found it strange. How had this momentum suddenly arisen?

Thinking of the few hairs Murphy had told him to pluck before, could there really have been some kind of curse involved?

Murphy, however, remained perfectly calm. He had long expected this situation, which he had created with his own hands.

Stories had always been the key to attracting people's attention.

A good story needed a dramatic, unpredictable plot. It needed suspense, and a process of unraveling clues to approach the truth.

And because wizards—something beyond Muggle understanding—had entered the picture, all those elements had suddenly fallen into place.

Murphy only needed to provide an opening that sparked people's associations. He did not need to guide the rest; someone would naturally keep following the thread.

At the same time, a good story needed a protagonist people could empathize with.

Umbrella Corporation was now that protagonist.

A newly established company that wanted nothing more than to change the world—it was so much like one's younger self upon first entering society, carrying pure and burning dreams, plunging headfirst into the bottomless depths of the world, only to be brutally beaten down by life.

Yet unlike the self that had already been bent beneath the pressure, it had not given up.

It felt wronged. It was angry. Yet it still stood tall, insisting on doing what it believed was right.

Seeing it was like seeing another possibility for oneself.

No one wanted to watch the protagonist lose in this passionate, straightforward tale of a young man striving forward.

Because no one wanted to see themselves lose.

When everyone gradually uncovered this story, Murphy knew that his victory was assured.

"He woke up?"

In Knockturn Alley, upon hearing Lisandro's news, Murphy sighed. "I thought he would never wake up. That family really is lucky."

Lucius Malfoy had not died. Murphy had learned that from Lisandro on the very same day.

After the fire broke out, Aurors and staff from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes quickly arrived at the scene, dealt with the Fiendfyre, and successfully extinguished it.

Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy had also been rescued by Dobby. Neither had suffered any real injuries, though they had been badly frightened.

Narcissa insisted that her home had been attacked by a Dark wizard, and that her husband might know the details. However, Lucius had been seriously injured and had remained at St Mungo's Hospital for treatment, unconscious for nearly ten days.

Murphy had dearly hoped Lucius would simply die in the hospital. If Narcissa had not spent a fortune hiring several Aurors to protect Lucius, he had even considered sneaking into the hospital and hitting him with an Avada Kedavra.

Unfortunately, the bastard had actually woken up.

Still, Murphy was not especially surprised.

He had already prepared for the possibility that the other man would awaken.

He also knew that after suffering such a huge loss, Lucius would never let the matter rest.

Murphy was alone and had no fear of Lucius taking revenge through force.

But the fact that Lucius knew his true identity was rather troublesome.

Once Lucius linked his real identity with a violation of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, he would effectively possess the means to have Murphy killed in wizarding society.

Although Murphy had become quite open-minded about breaking the law.

Even if the Ministry of Magic truly put out a warrant for him, he could simply change his name and live in the Muggle world.

But if it came to that, his future plans, such as the Potion Research Institute, would face enormous difficulties.

In fact, those difficulties had already appeared.

A few days ago, Gringotts had frozen the account he had opened under the false name "Stephen Cumberbatch," as well as the family vault belonging to "Murphy Darkholme." If he did not resolve this, it would be difficult for him to obtain wizarding currency through normal channels in the future.

No Galleons meant no dittany. No dittany meant no White Medicine. No White Medicine meant Umbrella would starve to death, and his path of technological and magical ascension would die before it even began.

"What, you care so much about Lucius? Don't tell me you were the one who burned down his house?" Lisandro probed.

"What do you think?"

"I think it was you," Lisandro said. "You brat, one look at you and I can tell you're no good. When you had me buy up all those potion ingredients before, that was aimed at Lucius's shop too, wasn't it? And this time, you went and burned the whole place down. Impressive. Arrogant! I like it!"

"It doesn't matter if you think it was me. You can't convict me."

Murphy picked up a glass of beer from the table and drained it in one gulp.

"Talking to you is pointless."

As he had said before, if Lucius wanted to go after him, he had to use proper channels. He needed evidence, and there had to be a trial.

And in the wizarding world, only one institution could determine whether a wizard was guilty.

He should go talk to those people and tell them a story.