Chapter 77

"I didn't find a house-elf breeding base," Locke said regretfully, "But through my multi-party contacts, I have collected more than forty house-elves from sellers all over the world."

"Oh?!" Murphy was pleasantly surprised, "Very good, where are they?"

"I have bought them all, they are at my house now, do you want to go and see?"

"Good! Let's go!"

Locke's house is on a hillside in Devon.

It is a small house dug into the hillside, hidden in the grass as a whole. If it weren't for the bright windows and that oak door, Murphy would almost ignore its existence.

Standing in front of the cottage door, you can overlook a large wilderness, and there are woods and swamps in the distance.

"The scenery here is not bad," Murphy looked around, "I'm thinking of buying a house here to live in when I rest occasionally."

"In front is Ottery St. Catchpole, and across the river is Ottery St. Mary, both inhabited by wizards." As he spoke, Locke pointed to a strange-looking building in the wilderness, "Look, that is the Weasley family, and on that mountain over there, lives the Lovegood family, both are weirdos. That higher mountain is White Ferret Mountain, very beautiful."

Weasley?

The Burrow?

Murphy looked up and saw that he could vaguely see one or two figures walking beside that crooked house.

As for the Lovegood house further away, he could only see a strange spire.

For some reason, seeing these places, Murphy felt a lazy and comfortable feeling. Maybe buying a house here to live in when he rests occasionally is indeed not bad.

But for now, let's look at those house-elves first.

Bending down and walking into Locke's house, which is like a hobbit cottage, Murphy found that the space inside was not small.

As soon as he entered the house, Murphy saw seven or eight house-elves busy with this and that. One was carefully wiping the already polished floor with a rag for the nth time, one was changing poses for flower arranging, holding a water cup in his hand, and pouring a drop into it from time to time, and one was washing clothes, but the laundry water was so clean that it seemed like it could be drunk directly.

"They are too bored, I can't stop them from working."

Sure enough, every room in Locke's cottage was packed with house-elves. They tried every means to find some work to do, and several house-elves even had conflicts because they were fighting to work, fighting until their heads were broken and bleeding.

Worthy of being house-elves.

Too professional.

What 996, they have always been 007, and they don't want wages, don't want overtime pay, their work enthusiasm is explosive, and they will fight you if you don't let them work.

Such perfect employees, wouldn't they be offered up by Muggle bosses, and given certificates of merit every day?

But these wizards don't know how to cherish them?

Not to mention no rewards, they don't even give them clothes to wear, they don't even have enough to eat, and they are beaten and scolded at every turn...

Black-hearted, too black-hearted, capitalists would shed tears if they saw it.

Take them away, must take them all away. I, Murphy Darkholm, just can't stand the suffering of the world.

"By the way, when you were looking for these elves, did you meet any healers or doctors who know how to treat them?"

"Hmm?" Locke was stunned by this question, "Who would treat a house-elf?"

"..."

Alright, he thought too much.

Wizards don't treat house-elves as humans, they don't even treat them as dogs, there isn't even a veterinarian.

These little guys are living entirely on their own strong immunity.

"Fine," Murphy took out a rope, "Let them line up and hold this rope tightly."

Before leaving, Murphy also gave Locke a few instructions, "Pay attention to the Wizard Security Shop. Go buy a few storefronts, Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley, Hogsmeade, all must have them. Currently, just recruit people. Priority for fresh graduates and young people who have just graduated for a year or two from Hogwarts or other famous magic schools."

"Oh right, buy me a house nearby."

Bringing forty-three house-elves back to the Spell Research Institute, Murphy went to find Laura Kruger.

"Are they, house-elves?" Dobby was receiving treatment in the medical laboratory, and this was the first time Laura saw a house-elf, "Wow, so cute!"

"Hmm?" Murphy glanced at those wrinkled, soft, long-nosed, big-eared creatures that looked like extra-large upright rats, "Cute?"

"Look, their big eyes, don't you think they are cute?"

This was the first time Murphy saw his assistant so lively, completely different from her usual administrative reserve.

To be honest, I think you are cuter.

"Cough," Murphy coughed lightly, "They will replace the staff in the institute and will be responsible for the logistics services of the entire institute from now on. You find some people recently to let them get familiar with this place, and then arrange the clearance of those Muggle staff."

The institute needed those Muggle staff at the beginning, which was entirely a last resort.

For every additional unrelated person, the possibility of the institute leaking secrets increases by one point.

But now with house-elves whose loyalty is guaranteed, those staff can be cleared.

"Okay." Laura wrote down Murphy's instructions in her notebook, "By the way, Director, the security team at the mansion outside reported today that a person named Boris wants to see you."

"Okay, got it. I'll go see him later."

He has been entering the institute directly via Apparition recently and hasn't returned to the mansion for several days. If Boris came to find him, he really wouldn't be able to find him.

After arranging the house-elves, Murphy went to the medical laboratory to see Dobby.

"How is he?" he asked the doctor who was injecting Dobby.

There is no shortage of medical experts in the institute, and in order to study magical creatures, Murphy even recruited several veterinarians, all of whom are currently having a joint consultation for Dobby.

"He is too weak, severely malnourished, many organs have dysfunction, and even approached a state of failure. If it were a while later, I'm afraid he wouldn't be saved," the doctor said, "However, his will to survive is very strong. We are supplementing him with nutrients. Although his body structure is very different from humans, fortunately, the required nutrients are not much different, and drugs like Dittany and Wound-Cleaning Agent are also effective for him, so the possibility of recovery is not small."

Murphy nodded, but saw the big-headed creature on the hospital bed open his eyes, look at him blankly for a long time, and then close them again.

"Good, you guys work hard. In addition, another batch of house-elves has arrived in the institute, all of them are his kind. You can perform some physical examinations and the like on them, which should let you know more about this creature. If you find other sick house-elves during the physical examination, treat them together."

"This group of elves has been living very badly outside, don't be too rough on them."

Leaving the institute, Murphy returned to the mansion.

"Where is Boris?"

(End of chapter)