The traditional method of a wizard brewing a batch of magic potion was too slow to meet the growing demand for the Venus series of beauty potions. More importantly, the inconsistency in the effects of potions brewed by different wizards made quality control challenging, leading to slight variations in each batch of the Venus series.
To solve these problems, Murphy had long planned to industrialize the production of beauty potions. However, unlike Dittany essence, the beauty potion involved numerous ingredients and complex brewing steps, making it difficult to isolate the effective components for non-wizard industrial production.
Therefore, the solution was to adopt an assembly line approach, breaking down the brewing process so that each person was responsible for a specific step. This standardized and simplified operation led to a more uniform and efficient output.
"How many beauty potions can we brew each day now?" Murphy asked.
"About six hundred batches. If we adopt a three-shift work system, we can produce an additional two hundred batches."
Eight hundred batches, or over fifteen hundred liters, represented more than a fivefold increase from the previous daily output of around three hundred liters. Moreover, the quality was more stable.
"Hire more people and add another production line," Murphy instructed.
After inspecting the factory, Murphy and Isaac returned to the front.
"Isaac, do you know about love potions?"
"Of course," Isaac replied. "Although magic potion shops are generally not allowed to openly sell love potions, almost every shop secretly does. The Aurors usually don't interfere with such matters. Occasionally, the Law Enforcement Squad conducts checks, but then we just hide the potions. If the inspection is really strict, we just turn the potions into water."
Magic world laws were like this: plenty of rules but often lax in enforcement.
"I plan to set up another production line for love potions, not here, but in the shop in Knockturn Alley. They're not very familiar with the production line method there, so you might need to guide them occasionally."
"Sure, boss."
"Good. Just like with the beauty potions, break down the production steps for the love potion. I've already informed them, and Ms. Zorini will cooperate with you."
Zorini was the owner of the Supreme Magic Potion shop in Knockturn Alley and the sister of Halima, the owner of the "Toadstool Cellar" that sold potion materials in Knockturn Alley. Halima was now Murphy's material supplier.
"Will the love potions produced here be sold here, or are they all for export?" Isaac asked.
"Export," Murphy said. The future of chip manufacturing would require substantial investment, and even with the profitability of Umbrella Corporation, it might not be enough.
Besides, having chips was not enough. To maximize their performance, existing storage technologies and software systems needed to be replaced. He would have to develop memory, hard drives, and even computer systems and basic applications.
He was planning to disrupt companies like Intel, Apple, and Microsoft, and perhaps even venture into the internet, challenging Google in the future.
The amount of money he needed to burn was staggering.
Just having two subsidiaries go public might not be enough to cover this huge gap.
Murphy was already preparing to open up several new revenue streams.
Love Potion Perfume was one of them.
Other potions like wound cleaning potions, blood replenishing potions, and bone-growing potions were useful, but the first two had adequate Muggle alternatives, and the bone-growing potion had a limited application range. Their combined value could hardly surpass Dittany.
Other potions like the Draught of Living Death and Veritaserum were similar.
But love potions were different; their effect had no equivalent in the Muggle world. Moreover, their secondary effect of "smelling like whatever one finds most attractive" was enough to make it a hit perfume.
After all, who could resist the scent of love?
...
After arranging the production of the love potions, Murphy met with the elf Locke.
Locke showed him several newly purchased shops and handed him a stack of applications.
"These are for the wizard security shops, mostly from Hogwarts, with a few from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."
"How many applicants are there?"
"About sixty or seventy."
Murphy casually flipped through the names, recognizing most as his juniors from Hogwarts, some even his classmates.
"Those who scored above six O.W.Ls in the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams, hire them."
The O.W.Ls were basic assessments, with a pass grade granting a certificate for a subject. The requirement of six certificates was not high, and most Hogwarts graduates could achieve it.
He selected thirty from the list with E or above in Transfiguration, "After hiring, have them start brewing Animagus potions."
"Animagus?" Locke was puzzled, knowing the power of such advanced transfiguration, rare in the wizarding world.
Murphy's intention to have over thirty wizards become Animagi was ambitious.
"Don't expect them to succeed; just have them start from the first step of the Animagus potion. I'll regularly collect their potions for inspection."
The first step in brewing an Animagus potion required holding a single leaf of mandrake in one's mouth for a whole month (from full moon to full moon). Murphy wanted to know what changes occurred in the leaf during this process, so he planned to periodically collect the leaves from the wizards' mouths for analysis at the potion research facility.
"Continue recruiting. Besides retired Aurors as instructors, recruit young wizards skilled in enlargement and shrinking spells."
"Alright, boss," Locke agreed. "Also, what name are you planning for these security shops?"
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