In the office of a surgeon at the Elder Council Hospital, Strange was reviewing the matching data with a furrowed brow. Just as Shiller had predicted, after learning of his brother Victor's condition, he decisively decided to proceed with a liver transplant.
However, he understood the current state of medical advancements on Earth better than Shiller. Actually, even without the recent explosive growth in technology, cancer was not utterly hopeless; Wakanda had methods to treat it.
After seeing Victor's diagnostic report, Strange immediately contacted Black Panther. However, Black Panther told him that while they could utilize the power of the Panther God to eradicate cancer cells, they didn't have a good solution to the genetic problem.
This meant that even if they used the power of Wakanda to eliminate the cancer cells once, if Victor's genetic condition worsened again, he would have to suffer this ordeal once more. Therefore, Strange decided to simply go ahead with the liver transplant.
This decision would usually be considered a bit risky because the biggest problem with organ transplantation is the rejection reaction. But in fact, Doctor Connors has conducted in-depth research on the human body's rejection phenomenon. If he participated in this surgery, the prognosis treatment would yield much better results. Coupled with the efforts from all sides to find the most compatible liver source, and Strange himself leading the surgery, the risk has been minimized.
And the good news was that with the help of Nick, they quickly found a suitable liver source. In fact, not just one. Strange was now selecting the most suitable one with the help of his old classmate.
However, at this moment, the door to the balcony was pushed open with a "bang." Strange turned his head to see a Mecha full of chill rushing in from the balcony. He immediately frowned angrily and rose his voice, "Tony Stark! What do you think you're doing?!"
"And you're asking ME what I am doing?!" Stark's tone was even brighter than him. The Mecha's face popped open with a snap, and Stark looked at Strange with an exceptionally cold gaze, "Why did you violate our agreement? Do you have any idea how much we've given up to stabilize Shiller's mental state?"
Strange's eyebrows furrowed even deeper. He put down the paper and pen in his hand and rose. He turned to Stark, "What are you even talking about? Tony, what does this have to do with Shiller?"
Before Stark could speak, Strange stretched out a hand, saying, "Yes, I asked him to try and persuade Victor, but they only talked for less than three minutes. He just soothed Victor's mood; is that not allowed either?"
The anger disappeared from Stark's face, replaced by an even deeper expression. He stepped forward and looked into Strange's eyes, "Having known him for so long, don't you know what kind of person he is?"
"Shiller would want everything to go as per his plan to ensure no unforeseen circumstances arise in any link of the chain. He wouldn't care about the price!" Stark stressed.
He banged the wall beside him with one hand and continued, "Whenever he gets involved in something, he will do everything in his power to ensure the outcome is as perfect as he envisioned, regardless of whether the process might hurt him."
Strange's brow furrowed even more significantly. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Cut the crap and tell me already."
"Death came to me last night." Stark tilted his head aside, looking out the window with a low voice, "Shiller went to see her again, and you know, they have a transaction."
"All humans must go to the Land of Death when they die, but Shiller can pay a price to make the Land of Death reject certain individuals. This way, their souls can go directly to the Heaven that Shiller has built."
Stark lowered his gaze. "Three days ago, the night your brother was transferred, Shiller went to see Death. Like he did when he resurrected my parents, he brought a part of his soul to trade with Death, asking her to reject your brother's soul."
"So whether the liver transplant operation is successful or not, your brother will not die. And the price is a part of Shiller's soul - his arm."
Strange's eyes widened slowly. He looked down, then stomped heavily on the ground, put his hands on his hips again, looked at Stark, and asked, "Are you sure? I mean...are you sure he traded a part of his soul with Death for me?"
"What else?"
Strange opened his mouth slightly. He seemed to have lost his ability to speak. He managed to squeeze out a cough from his throat, then shook his head, turned around and sat down at the desk again.
Stark narrowed his eyes, noticing that Strange's arm muscles were slightly twitching, and his fingertips were trembling. However, this didn't seem exactly like symptoms of anxiety disorder rather, more like certain pre-existing nervous reflexes.
Looking for relevant psychological information, a term that Stark had previously encountered came to his mind — "Autism".
But soon, he rejected this. Strange's symptoms were not the same as Shiller's but were somewhat similar, so he instinctively said, "Asperger's Syndrome?"
"Are you here to play doctor?" Strange didn't back off.
"No, that's not why I'm here. I'm just here to talk. I know that my parents were resurrected because of Shiller. So, I'm not in a position to ask you not to let him do this. However, I do hope that you understand the possible consequences."