Hermione rolled her eyes; she had forgotten that her boyfriend was no longer the little vagabond rummaging through trash. Now he was the owner of an island, squeezing every last drop of value out of the prisoners in his prison.
The prisoners worked diligently, making Tom's factory grow larger. In every screw of the factory, the tears and groans of those prisoners were condensed; the noise heard in the factory wasn't the sound of machines, but the roars of Dementors.
But for this scum, wasn't it what they deserved? If they hadn't murdered and committed crimes, how could they have been sent to the White Dolphin? Tom only accepted death row inmates.
So, even though he treated them as if he were squeezing peanut oil, Tom had not an ounce of compassion.
Once the initial capital problem was solved, Tom didn't mention anything about the competition. Hermione was still a bit curious and looked at Tom, saying seriously, "It's illegal to Confund or use Unforgivable Curses on Muggles!"
For Hermione, unless Tom used magic, he couldn't make ranchers drive their cattle to the slaughterhouse. After all, the reason the factory had been sold was because it wasn't properly managed. If it were a gold mine, why would the owner sell it?
"Of course not. Enchanting each of them would be exhausting," Tom said with an exaggerated expression, then mentioned something entirely different.
"Americans are very finicky; they don't eat internal organs. All the blood and offal from pigs, cows, and sheep are considered trash to them."
Hermione grimaced but didn't contradict him.
Compared to other countries, Americans were indeed very finicky. Whether it was in England, France, or other countries in the world, there was a long history of eating internal organs, but the newly wealthy United States only ate meat and considered internal organs impure food.
This also posed a problem for meat processing plants in the United States: how to deal with internal organs and blood?
Dealing with them incurred additional expenses. Typically, a waste disposal company was hired, paid, and they took away the internal organs and blood, which were then turned into fertilizer or pet food; a small amount ended up in Asian supermarkets as delicacies.
Did you want to dump or bury them? Be prepared to be fined to bankruptcy by the Environmental Protection Agency!
This meat processing factory would be sold, perhaps because it was facing this issue.
Tom thought he could do something about it. Menes' blood had the characteristic of absorbing blood to strengthen itself, so Tom thought he could drop a drop of Menes' blood into the septic tank for it to absorb the animal waste.
The Philosopher's Stone above would absorb life energy, while Menes' blood would absorb the meat and blood remnants. Tom's factory would maximize the utilization of energy. Tom could also lower the price he charged for slaughtering cattle, thereby strengthening his competitiveness. It would be a triple benefit: Tom would win three times.
If Menes' blood didn't absorb it, there would be no problem. Tom could simply pay more money to the waste disposal company and run the factory at a loss. His goal wasn't to make money but to provide the Philosopher's Stone to Hermione; he couldn't reverse the priorities.
Hearing Tom's plan, Hermione felt that things were starting to look more feasible.
With the help of various means of transportation, Yuri brought Tom and Hermione to the outskirts of a small town in Texas.
"Firetown? That's a quite 'friendly' name." Tom was about to vomit as he saw the road sign.
Two wizards entering Firetown always had a touch of dark humor.
"It's normal for Texans; I've seen a place called Watermelon Town, also in Texas, which would have been renamed if it were anywhere else." Yuri didn't seem concerned.
In addition to its name, the town was a typical and common place in Texas. There was only one street in the whole town, with wooden houses painted in various colors lining both sides of the road, each with a large or small garden. In addition to these residences, there was also a police station, a church, a supermarket, and a bar in the town. Perhaps the bar also served as a casino.
The overall appearance of the place was typical of an ordinary Texas town. At the end of the street, you could see a vast, endless field, filled with cows and sheep roaming around. Some houses were scattered across the field, serving as shelter for the livestock in case of bad weather.
Tom and his two companions were traveling by car on the only road out of town, which was the mandatory route to the meat processing plant. This small town was the largest human settlement in the vicinity.
"This meat processing plant has been in operation for decades, but recently, due to mismanagement and the owner's need for cash, it has been put up for sale. According to my research, the location of this plant is excellent, being the only one within a hundred kilometers. During the peak season, slaughtering tens of thousands of head of cattle in a single day is a piece of cake," Tom raised an eyebrow, wondering if a million cows would be enough; he instinctively thought it might be too little. I'm afraid we'll have to expand our capacity if we want to create a Philosopher's Stone before Hermione comes of age.
"I suggest you join the local farmers' association. They will help you secure a supply of cattle, and all you'll have to pay is the labor cost," Yuri planned everything in detail.
After leaving the town, they drove for several more minutes until they finally arrived at a large area fenced with iron fences.
Seeing this imposing factory in front of them, Tom felt a hint of doubt: did he have enough money?
Unaware of his friend's change in mood, Yuri continued excitedly, "There are quick-freezing chambers, refrigerated warehouses, and acid disinfection rooms. A few years ago, all production lines were upgraded. I can tell you that this meat processing plant is very promising!"
Tom: ...
"How much money will I need approximately?"
"Five million dollars. Oh, by the way, you're only buying the factory and the tools inside it; the land is not yours. Plus, it would be better if you didn't lay off the employees..." Yuri mentioned some restrictions.
Tom: ...
A bit expensive maybe? But his prison was generating significant income, so he could probably gather the five million dollars.
Yuri was very efficient in the arrangements. After signing a bunch of contracts, Tom was now the owner of an automated meat processing plant with dozens of employees and a daily slaughter capacity of thousands of heads.
After closing a big deal, the previous owner of the plant, who successfully sold it, cordially invited them to his mansion for a drink.
Tom accepted the invitation without any issues.
But the moment they entered the mansion, Tom was completely stunned. In the living room of the friendly and hospitable owner of Texas hung a coat of arms, the content of which was very simple: a black cross with a skull on top.
Beneath the coat of arms hung two small wooden sticks.
Tom recognized it as the coat of arms of the Scourers!