Blue Ocean

The spacious hall seemed designed for grand banquets. Thousands of candle-shaped chandeliers were scattered in elegant order several meters overhead, while below stood more than a hundred men and women of every description.

They were all scholars with some measure of fame in their respective fields, invited by Umbrella Corporation from all over the country. The invitation had clearly stated the salary and employment terms, and they had assumed they would be facing an interview, only to be brought here instead.

The hall was filled with buffet food and drinks. Before long, attendants told them they could help themselves. The scholars, somewhat restrained at first, gradually relaxed as well, treating the banquet as Umbrella Corporation's welcome ceremony.

Murphys stood by the railing on the third floor, looking down at the noisy scene below. He counted the number of people. "108."

What an auspicious number.

It was about time. They should begin.

With a wave of his wand, the doors at the hall entrance slammed shut. Then, with a series of bangs, the other three exits, along with the windows, were pulled shut by an unseen force.

He had already sent the Risk Prevention Group's security team to stand guard two hundred meters away from the villa.

Next, he threw a silencing charm down below, making the buzzing discussions die down.

Then he Apparated onto the podium below and used "Sonorus" on his own throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen." His voice echoed through the hall as if amplified by a loudspeaker.

"First of all, congratulations. You have been hired," Murphys said. "Welcome to Umbrella Corporation. As for your salaries and the matters requiring attention, they should all have been stated in the invitations previously handed to you, so I won't repeat them here. I believe a salary at least three times your previous one should satisfy you. However, regarding the confidentiality agreement, I still need to emphasize it again."

"This is the company's most secure and central research institution, and as such, it has the highest level of confidentiality measures. The terms have already made it clear that once you take up your positions, you will work here in a closed environment for at least one to three years. Of course, we will renegotiate the agreement every year to ensure that anyone who wishes to leave may do so."

"But after leaving this Western Mansion, no one may disclose any research conducted within it in any form. Naturally, we will also take certain measures to ensure that you are able to abide by this agreement."

"Is there anyone who still wishes to withdraw? If so, you may leave now. Everything I say next will be a company secret. Once you hear it, you won't be able to withdraw at will."

Murphys waited for one minute. No one left.

"Very good. Then you are officially hired," Murphys said. "Now I can introduce myself to you. I am Murphys Anon, the founder of Umbrella Corporation, and also the owner of this Western Mansion."

"I believe you must all be very curious as to what exactly you will be researching."

"If you chatted with the people around you just now, you would have discovered that you all come from different fields. Among those present are mathematicians, physicists, biologists, doctors, chemists, engineers, materials scientists, pharmacology experts, botanists and zoologists. We even invited linguists, dancers, conductors, musicians, and writers..."

"And very few of you share the same specialized subfield. For example, this gentleman here, Mr. Cameron Snyder, is a computer expert, but his specialization lies in algorithms and artificial intelligence."

"And this lady here, Ms. Maria Ford, is likewise a computer expert, but her specialty is processor architecture and instruction sets."

"In addition, you have several other colleagues in the field of computer science: Nezel Sosa, specializing in graphics and visualization; Melita Strickland, an expert in parallel computing and distributed computing; Tori Brana, a cryptography expert; and others. I believe you should all have heard of one another's names to some extent."

"You are all accomplished experts in your respective fields," Murphys said. "But forgive my bluntness—your achievements are still some distance away from the truly top level."

A buzz of discussion immediately rose from the crowd, but no one stepped forward to refute him.

"I have carefully reviewed the résumé of every single one of you. Without a doubt, you are all among the most diligent and passionate scholars and experts. You do not lack talent, inspiration, or the spirit to strive. What you lack, at times, is merely a question important enough and interesting enough."

"Our technology has developed to an explosive stage. It is like a great tree. Two hundred years ago, it was a bare trunk, and in any direction one could find a vast branch of questions. Everyone who contributed along that branch faced and solved problems that would serve as foundations for that entire branch. They were more than worthy of being remembered in history as pioneers of their fields."

"One hundred years ago, almost every branch on this great tree had already been marked with a name. Those who came later could only choose smaller offshoots and push deeper. By fifty years ago, and even more so now, technology had already grown into an incomparably luxuriant giant tree. What remains for researchers today are only the even more difficult, yet even smaller, problems among the branches of branches."

"Modern technology relies on the accumulation and breakthroughs made step by step by countless researchers through countless tiny problems. The era when a single scientist, or a single study, could transform the face of an entire field has grown fewer and farther between, and more and more difficult to reach."

The crowd listened to his speech without much reaction. As researchers, they had already been well aware of this problem ever since entering their professions.

Although they had all entered the field dreaming of becoming great scientists who could change the world, they also knew how difficult that was. As a result, most of the time, they merely regarded so-called "scientific research" as nothing more than a simple job, not very different from the work of an office drone clocking in at nine and leaving at five.

"I believe everyone has already accepted the current state of affairs. But I wonder, have any of you ever dreamed of entering once more into an untouched blue ocean?"

"There, endless unknowns await. Countless questions exist. Every step you take, every result you obtain, will be like the creation of heaven and earth itself! You will no longer be insects crawling painfully along the twigs and leaves, but giants and gods who plant great trees one after another."

The scholars all raised their heads and looked at him. Of course they had dreamed such dreams before, but in reality, such vast unknown fields no longer existed.

Thus, apart from the faint nostalgia stirred by memories of childhood dreams, the gazes with which they looked at Murphys held only confusion and wariness.

Words like these were usually heard only from crackpots and swindlers.

But Murphys, standing on the podium, looked utterly confident.

"Today, I will open for you the door to this unknown field."

"But before that, please allow me to perform a little trick."

"Leviosa!"