Chapter 184: Strange's Happy Life (Part 1)_2

All in all, after this major event concluded, The Ancient One became the busiest person.

This led to a problem, in such a short period, she did not have much spare time to supervise her future successor Strange, or to be exact, the busy Ancient One simply forgot about him.

However, in this brief period, Strange's life had undergone considerable changes.

The most prominent and impactful change was that he had suddenly become extraordinarily rich overnight.

Previously, Strange couldn't be considered as poor. As one of the world's best neurosurgeons, his income was relatively high. However, clearly, earning a fixed salary would never beat finding shortcuts to gain wealth.

Ever since he became the medical consultant of the Stark-Osborn Pharmaceutical Consortium, and delivered worldwide lectures on the effects of the Eternal Life Factor, endorsing this mysterious drug in his capacity as an elite doctor, Strange suddenly found that it seemed like the whole world was rushing to stuff money into his pockets.

Stark and Osborn, both companies were willing to pay him a huge salary. In addition, S.H.I.E.L.D. also offered a portion of remuneration; he also received a fee from the rehab facility, but these were not even his main sources of income.

The world is full of people who are so rich that money is all they have left. Like the Middle East magnates who sit on a reserve of black gold, the Far East oligarchs tightly grasping their finances, and the monopolists in certain industries. Do you think these people are really ignorant of the speculative hype surrounding the Eternal Life Factor? Not necessarily.

It's just that they're too rich. They don't mind spending money as long as what they get in return is satisfying. Even if it's just for the placebo effect, they are willing to pay a high price to have a top doctor reassure them daily that "it is effective". After all, money is just a number to them.

Under such circumstances, even a single fee set by these individuals could leave Strange dizzy for a long time.

Indeed, Strange was overwhelmed by all this money.

Essentially, Strange at this time was not a naturally benevolent person like Peter Parker. His high pursuit of his profession was largely due to the substantial rewards and honor it could bring. This is a common sentiment among people.

The sudden windfall completely shattered his views on money. Strange suddenly realized that money wasn't necessarily a reward for labor. He did not put in any actual work; he just acted like a tape recorder, repeating a few phrases over and over again, then went to opulent banquets for extravagant meals, had a few conversations with the richest people in the world, and money just seemed to fly into his pockets.

Strange found that the world's economic operation system seemed to be a scam from the start. After transitioning from a scam victim to a scammer, he suddenly stopped agonizing over it.

After all, being wealthy was genuinely enjoyable.

So, when The Ancient One finally had a breather and checked on Strange, she noticed that he seemed to have come to terms.

Just as she was planning to find out what had happened, she got caught up with other troubles. The head of the New York Sanctum was tearing his hair out to be transferred and The Ancient One had to comfort these apprentices and figure out how to reconnect the Sanctum's WiFi.

But what she didn't realize was, the drastic increase in wealth could induce transformational changes.

Not long after, Pepper, having completed the vital power transfer tasks for Stark Group, began to restructure industries related to the Eternal Life Factor and established a foundation for it. It was only logical that Strange became a member of it.

Once you hold a share in such a critical industry, everything changes.

Simply put, he transitioned from a worker to a capitalist overnight.

Whether Strange had a heart that is not corrupted by wealth and luxury, even he himself didn't know. However, it was apparent to The Ancient One who had just returned from her busy schedule, that he did not.

Upon the Supreme Magician's return, she discovered that the situation was running irreversibly in a completely wrong direction.

Due to Shiller's absence, Strange had become an indispensable figure in the professional field of the Eternal Life Factor industry. His importance was rapidly growing, even to a point where he could pull some major strings. He had gained public trust towards the Eternal Life Factor's medical aspects, thereby having the final interpretation rights.

This meant that, within this industry, he had become a person as important as Stark or Osborn. To consolidate this public trust, Osborn Group planned to open a company for him to elevate the standard of the Consortium's industry. Before The Ancient One could intervene, the process was almost done.

This future Supreme Magician was about to embark on a nonreturnable journey as a capitalist.

However, The Ancient One knew if Strange truly became a capitalist controlling the lifeline of an industry just like Stark or Osborn, no matter if it was a car accident or the death of an important family member, nothing would cause him to renounce the worldly fame and pursue the mystic arts.

Even if he would choose to do so, the people who could benefit from him would not allow him to.

For instance, if Stark decides to abandon everything now and retreat into the monastic life, the first one to panic would probably be the US President, so much so that his blood pressure might rise.

Once a matter involves these people, things could get complicated. The Ancient One has always believed in non-interventionism during her many years as the Supreme Magician. At present, Strange's decision affects the Eternal Life Factor industry, which is related to the Stark Group, Osborn Group, S.H.I.E.L.D., the military, and Congress. She didn't want to create conflict with various powerful entities due to her successor's situation.