Luo Bai frowned.
Wait, Strange is here?
Doesn't that mean the plot has at least reached the events of Doctor Strange? But Ultron and Vision are nowhere to be seen.
Could it be that because he devoured the Infinity Stones, those two were erased along with them?
Most likely...
Of course, Luo Bai wasn't too concerned about that at the moment.
After all, ever since he appeared, the plot had been completely derailed, so he couldn't be bothered to keep track anymore.
Right now, he was more interested in Strange.
"Has he found Kamar-Taj yet?" Luo Bai asked.
Wong shook his head and answered truthfully, "He's still searching all over Kathmandu, asking people everywhere about Kamar-Taj. I saw that he's been looking for a long time, so I wanted to ask if you'd like me to bring him back."
Strange, Doctor Strange.
His magical talent was said to be exceptional.
If Luo Bai hadn't appeared, Strange would have become the Sorcerer Supreme.
But there was no helping it—Luo Bai had beaten him to it.
The Ancient One had long since left, and the title of Sorcerer Supreme now belonged to Luo Bai.
Still, if Strange was willing, taking him in as a disciple didn't seem like a bad idea.
After all, with proper training, he had a lot of potential for growth.
Thinking of this, Luo Bai said, "Bring him to Kamar-Taj. I'll meet him."
Wong nodded and immediately opened a portal.
Luo Bai followed.
He sat in the main hall of Kamar-Taj, sipping tea as he waited.
Before long, Wong returned, bringing with him a man who looked disheveled—practically like a beggar.
Luo Bai knew Strange's character well.
He had once been an exceptional neurosurgeon.
With his superb skills, he was hailed as a gift to the medical world.
He was wealthy.
Not as rich as Stark, but well-off enough to live comfortably.
Talented and intelligent, he could have continued to shine in his field for the rest of his life without worry—until a sudden car accident took everything away from him.
Desperate, Strange had come to Kamar-Taj.
His goal was most likely to seek healing for his hands.
But Strange had always been a genius, praised since childhood.
Just like Stark in the past, his arrogance matched his talent.
In the original plot, when Strange first met the Ancient One, he was rude to her and was promptly thrown out as punishment.
That made Luo Bai wonder if he should take a similar approach—shattering Strange's spirit like the Ancient One once did.
With that thought in mind, Luo Bai prepared to strike him with a verbal blow.
Unexpectedly, before he could say anything, Strange suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.
"????"
Before Luo Bai could react, Strange began begging. "I know, I know—you're the Sorcerer Supreme, right? You know magic... You can help me, right?!"
"I beg you, please heal my hands! I have no other options!!!"
Strange knelt on the ground, clutching Luo Bai's trousers with trembling hands.
He looked up, his bright eyes gleaming from his dirt-streaked face.
His gaze was filled with desperation, as if Luo Bai were a god.
His reaction left Luo Bai completely baffled.
Something wasn't right.
This wasn't how Strange was supposed to act, and this wasn't how the story was supposed to go.
Shouldn't he be skeptical about magic first, wait for Luo Bai to demonstrate its power, get thrown out, and then beg to learn?
Why was he kneeling the moment he stepped through the door?
Before Luo Bai could process it, Strange continued, "You must be able to help me, right?! Please, please... I have nothing left!"
Strange's sincerity was so intense that Luo Bai almost doubted whether he had ever been arrogant to begin with.
But seeing his attitude, Luo Bai decided against trying to break his spirit.
"I know why you're here, Strange. I can heal your hands, but are you willing to learn magic?" Luo Bai asked.
Strange barely hesitated before answering, "I do!"
For a surgeon, his hands were everything.
If regaining them meant learning magic, then so be it.
Hearing this, Strange said firmly, "As long as you can heal my hands, I'll do anything you ask!"
In truth, curing Strange's hands was a simple matter. Luo Bai possessed magic capable of altering reality.
With just a bit of magic, Strange's hands could be restored to normal.
However, from the way Strange spoke, Luo Bai couldn't shake the feeling that he had misunderstood something.
Thinking of this, Luo Bai immediately clarified, "Doctor Strange, I think you've misunderstood my meaning."
"I can heal your hands, but that means you must give up your previous identity from this moment on."
"You will have to stay in Kamar-Taj and devote yourself to learning magic."
Strange froze upon hearing Luo Bai's words.
After a long pause, he asked, "Are you saying I have to stay in Kamar-Taj and that I can't be a doctor anymore?"
Luo Bai nodded.
Hearing this, Strange hesitated.
Of course, he would hesitate.
After all, the entire reason he came here was to restore his hands so he could return to being a doctor.
He had no interest in superpowers or magic.
And now, Luo Bai was asking him to give up his career entirely?
Strange remained silent for a moment.
Seeing his hesitation, Luo Bai smiled and asked, "Doctor Strange, there's no such thing as a free lunch. I won't heal you unconditionally. If you're not willing to pay a price, then I can't help you."
Strange was taken aback but quickly responded, "I can pay you. I have money."
Clearly, Strange had yet to grasp the reality of the world of superhumans—he was still thinking like an ordinary person.
To him, it was simple: Luo Bai would heal him, and he would pay in return.
That was how normal transactions worked.
But to Luo Bai, money was meaningless.
"Doctor Strange, I know you're not familiar with Kamar-Taj yet, but you should at least understand one thing—no ordinary doctor can heal your hands."
"I'm not a doctor. I'm a sorcerer. I won't heal you with medicine, but with magic."
Luo Bai spoke each word clearly and deliberately.
After saying this, he casually cast a spell using telekinesis.
A small golden portal shimmered into existence in the air.
The next second, enormous stacks of money rained down from the portal like a waterfall.
"Maybe to ordinary people like you, money is everything. After all, you need it to survive. But to sorcerers, money is worthless."
"Because we can summon it whenever we want."
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