My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Without looking up, Phil replied, "...You all saw the effects of my complete healing spell, didn't you?"

In fact, New York Central Hospital was truly honored to be able to perform heart surgery on Tony, a "hero of two worlds".

—Even Tony Stark, who is blessed by the Seven Gods, has to come to New York Central Hospital for treatment and to save his life. What a huge honor that is! What a great advertisement!

So the hospital adopted an attitude of being even more attentive than when serving the President of the United States, and quickly assembled a super-luxurious expert treatment team. Even the future Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange, the number one neurosurgeon in New York, was pulled in to be the chief surgeon.

According to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's storyline, after Strange was in a car accident and lost both hands, he was able to perform highly complex surgeries even when his soul was inhabiting other people's bodies—surgeries he wasn't originally qualified for. Now, his hands are completely intact, and his healing abilities are comparable to those of a Grandmaster.

If such a powerful team can still fail in a heart surgery, or even endanger a life, then it's simply a case of bad luck.

Moreover, even if Tony is truly unlucky this time and something terrible happens on the operating table, as long as he doesn't die on the spot, Phil's healing skills can at least keep him alive.

Prior to this, in order to convince Tony's relatives and associates—mainly his girlfriend Pepper and members of S.H.I.E.L.D.—of the effectiveness of the healing magic from another world, Phil deliberately conducted a free clinic at New York Central Hospital, providing free treatment to the wounded from the New Orleans incident.

—After the “unusual violence” in New Orleans ended, as many as 200,000 wounded people urgently needed treatment, and medical resources in the local area and nearby cities were immediately strained. Even if all the hospitals in the New Orleans area and the field hospitals of the rescue forces were filled, it would still not be enough.

As a result, a significant number of the injured in New Orleans were diverted to hospitals in other U.S. cities, including several dozen who were placed at New York Central Hospital. However, after emergency treatment, they were left unattended—because they couldn't pay the medical bills, and their insurance companies refused to pay!

As mentioned before, through a series of dirty behind-the-scenes deals, Roxson Oil Company, with its "too big to fail" size advantage, forced the US government to whitewash the zombie crisis in New Orleans, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries, as an "unknown natural disaster," thereby escaping all legal responsibility.

However, the casualties and economic losses caused by this zombie crisis are astronomical figures that cannot be erased simply by changing the name. Since Roxon Corporation refuses to compensate, the injured lying in the hospital and the homeowners who have suffered heavy losses can only rely on the insurance company.

However, all crows are black, and in this situation, insurance companies, equally lacking in conscience, were unwilling to pay for the trouble caused by Roxon Petroleum. Instead, they invoked the exclusion clauses in the insurance contract regarding certain natural disasters—supernatural disasters that are beyond human control.

Thus, some of the New Orleans wounded who were diverted to New York Central Hospital found themselves in a desperate predicament... Fortunately, to prove that his healing techniques were not just superstition, Phil arranged a free medical consultation for them. Whether it was a fractured pelvis, high-level paraplegia, organ damage, or large-area burns, as long as a [Healing Technique] or [Complete Healing Technique] was cast, they would instantly recover as before, making the patients ecstatic.

Unfortunately, Phil only cured five or six patients for free before temporarily stopping, saying that his magic was limited and should not be wasted, and that he had to save it for important matters—he would only have the energy to continue treating others after Tony Stark's surgery was completed.

This reason was so good and powerful that even if the remaining patients included their own relatives and friends, Tandy and Tyrone couldn't say anything more.

(The real idea is to cure patients who can't afford medical care, so that the remaining patients who can still pay don't have to compete with hospitals for business.)

In short, after hearing Phil's assurance and recalling the miraculous healing effects they had witnessed, both Miss Dagger Tandy and the Cloaked Guy Tyrone nodded in agreement.

Just then, a clear electric bell finally rang out in the operating room.

Meanwhile, the electronic screen hanging on the wall of the outside corridor lit up with the words "Surgery completed".

A little while later, Phil and the others saw a doctor with a long, thin face—Stephen Strange—walk out wearily. He glanced around the corridor a few times, then walked up to Phil, scrutinized him with a critical eye, and said indifferently, "...Mr. Stark's surgery is over. It went very smoothly, and the prognosis should be quite good. In my opinion, there was absolutely no need for an outsider to interfere, but for some reason, he insisted that you, an outsider, perform his so-called healing spell..."

Chapter 276, Strange, the Apprentice Magician?

Oh ho, you actually think I'm not a professional? Do you take me for some half-baked amateur?

It seems that this future Doctor Strange is incredibly arrogant in his field of expertise!

"...Whether I'm an amateur or not is none of your business, Doctor. The world of magic is far more wondrous than your shallow imagination suggests!"

Faced with Strange's critical and cold remarks, Phil retorted calmly, "...You'll see in a moment. Now, please lead the way!"

Strange pursed his lips but didn't mutter anything more. He simply turned and led Phil inside. The two then walked through a short corridor and several preparation rooms. Phil found that Tony, bed and all, had been wheeled out of the operating room and temporarily placed in an empty room.

Tony had just woken up from anesthesia and could barely speak, but he couldn't move his body yet. He vaguely saw Phil's cat ears and murmured as if he wanted to say something. Phil, however, didn't intend to continue torturing his hoarse throat and instead began to chant a spell while gesturing.

The next moment, countless golden and silver magic circles appeared in the void in front of Phil, followed by a holy white light that appeared out of thin air and enveloped Tony's entire body. Tony's originally pale and haggard face also became rosy at a visible speed.

Immediately afterwards, Tony Stark, who had made a complete recovery in an instant, sprang up from his hospital bed with a start, ripped off the patches and IV drips, and ran briskly to the light. He tore open his hospital gown, looked at his chest, and immediately smiled with satisfaction.

"...Hahaha! Excellent, not a single scar left! I knew it, I'd need magic for post-operative recovery..."

Strange and the other doctors and nurses, upon hearing this, moved closer in disbelief. Their eyes widened as they saw that the wound on Tony's chest, which they had just stitched up, was now completely clean and new. Not only was there no scar, but even the sutures had disappeared!

“…Uh, although you look so energetic, I know the surgery must have gone well, but I still want to ask how you are feeling now? Do you need any further examination or observation?” Phil wiped the sweat from his forehead after finishing the spell and asked him.

"...Ah, it feels amazing! All the shrapnel has been removed, and I feel full of strength! More importantly, there's no scar on my chest at all."

Tony did a chest-expanding exercise, "...that way I won't have to be questioned about this scar by every girl touching my chest in bed anymore..."

"...Well...I remember there's a saying that scars are a warrior's medals, so why are you so concerned about it?" Phil asked.

"...Haha, little kitty, who do you think I am? Do you think I need scars to prove my courage and achievements? You know I'm a superhero; I've participated in so many battles, and I already have way too many medals..."

Tony laughed again and began to try casting spells—first, he ignited flames, lit up orbs of light, and sprayed water droplets from his fingertips; then he threw his slipper, which landed as a box; next, Tony tried the divine grace bestowed upon him by the god of craftsmen, using invisible magical hands to remove a door, a light bulb from the ceiling, and medical equipment from the corner of the room, floating these readily available materials in mid-air, constantly transforming and recombining them, finally successfully turning them into a writing desk with a fixed electronic clock and lamp... leaving the doctors and nurses dumbfounded.

"...Great! I can finally cast spells like I'm in another world! By the way, where did I put the arc reactor that I took off my chest?"

After testing the spell, he stretched languidly, then swaggered over to the doctors and nurses present, giving orders: "...That thing can't be thrown away! I'm going to take it back and keep it as a keepsake. Also, quickly tell Happy to buy me a brand new suit right away. He knows my size; I can't go out for interviews in a hospital gown... Heaven knows how many reporters are waiting outside for a scoop!"

"...What? I need to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation and a full-body checkup? That's completely unnecessary! I'll have Jarvis do a scan for me when I get home! Besides, I haven't felt this refreshed since I escaped that damn Afghan cave!"

"...I don't need to be hospitalized, but is there anywhere I can take a shower? I need to get myself ready before the interview!"

Seeing Tony's energetic and imperious demeanor, Phil smiled slightly and was about to turn away when she felt her wrist being grabbed. Looking up, she saw the future Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange, staring intently at her with a strange excitement in his eyes.

"...Um...excuse me, doctor, is there anything I can help you with?"

"...That magic just now! The one that instantly healed the wound, could you teach me? I really want to learn! Please!"

Dr. Strange looked eager, his eyes shining. He was clearly not the type to beg, but this time he unusually humbled himself, stammering, "...No matter how much tuition it is, I can find a way to raise it, even if it means starting as an apprentice!"

Uh, at first glance, it sounds like some hot-blooded idiot is shouting, "Coach, I want to learn how to play basketball?"

Upon hearing this, Phil was momentarily stunned.

—The future Doctor Strange hasn't even gone to Nepal to find Kamar-Taj yet, and he wants to come to me first to be my magic apprentice?

Is this a move to steal the Ancient One's disciple?

I'm feeling a bit... stressed out!

However, upon closer reflection, it would certainly be beneficial, or even necessary, for Stephen Strange to have some basic knowledge of magic before heading to Kamar-Taj, instead of being completely ignorant of magic as in the original storyline.

Children who have attended preschool usually perform better in elementary school than those who haven't.

Even Doctor Strange should have started from the apprentice level and worked his way up to build a solid foundation!

"...Yes, of course, Doctor, it would be our pleasure. If you're interested, you can find some time soon to come to Xavier's Castle in Westchester County for a test—we need to confirm your aptitude for magic before we can proceed to the next step, right?"

Phil smiled and replied, "...As for tuition, let's not talk about it; let's treat it as an academic exchange. Our country is also very interested in Earth's medical knowledge. Locking knowledge away will only lead to its gradual forgetting. Only through mutual exchange can we achieve progress and improvement..."

Author's message

PY Deal: Politically Correct Red Writer [Otaku Knight]'s "Red Star Rabbit's Diary of Post-Apocalyptic Revival"

When the apocalypse arrived, everything from the past turned into nothingness, the beauty of yesteryear was shattered, and the order of the human world had long since vanished.

But please put away your despair and look up at the sky...

The song of steel is playing, and the red radiance has never been extinguished!

Look! The righteous rabbit is striding forward with its head held high. It will crush the shadow of the apocalypse and rebuild the glory of human civilization!

Chapter 277, Why do superheroes attract hatred?

After arranging the entrance test time for Strange, the magic apprentice, Phil left the operating room and went out into the corridor.

Then, before he could take a few steps, he was intercepted by Lady Tandy (the dagger-wielding woman) and Tyrone (the cloaked man).

"...Mr. Phil, Mr. Stark is alright now. Can you continue using magic to heal everyone?"

"...Yes, another little girl was just brought in. It seems she accidentally stepped on an unexploded bomb from the Battle of New York. She lost both her legs and was covered in blood. She looks so pitiful, and we don't know how she'll get through the rest of her life! Can you help her grow her legs back?"

Listening to these two naive kids urging her to do volunteer work, Phil couldn't help but feel an urge to roll her eyes.

Please, what have I ever done to you that makes you think you have the right to ask me to do volunteer work here?

Besides, do you even understand that this is New York Central Hospital? A commercial institution that profits from patients!

Offering free medical consultations at New York Central Hospital isn't charity; it's a challenge!

Basically, it's like going to the other side's territory to disgust them, openly slapping these self-important doctors in the face!

I saved a few people here before because I was going to use healing magic on Tony Stark, a diamond-level big spender. The doctor here was skeptical about the effectiveness of healing magic and wanted to see for himself, so he just tested it on a few guinea pigs.

Therefore, Phil had cast spells on a few patients beforehand to test the effectiveness of the healing magic on the doctors, which naturally wouldn't cause any resentment from the hospital. Even so, those patients who received magical treatment were all arranged by New York Central Hospital, and they were the kind of patients who wouldn't be a big problem even if they died.

But now that Tony Stark is basically recovered and about to be discharged, what would it mean to the hospital if he were still there, performing free magic to heal people instantly? Would he be seen as a troublemaker deliberately trying to cause trouble? Would he be a blatant slap in the face, mocking the doctors' incompetence? More importantly, it would be like driving customers away from a store! It's the most blatant act of disrupting the business!

Cloaked guy and dagger lady, do you even realize how hateful this is? Or are you actually trying to set me up?

—Although Phil wasn’t afraid of offending the doctors and nurses here, what good would it do to publicly challenge them like this?

Charging those patients is impossible; the patients who would seek help from these teenagers are generally not wealthy, and besides, they wouldn't need the money now—after all, as an official envoy of a fantasy world, their food, clothing, housing, and transportation in the Marvel universe are all covered by the US government.

As for the gratitude and goodwill of patients, these are completely unreliable. In modern Western societies (and in fact, the East is similar), individualism is paramount and human relationships are indifferent. Even if you save someone's life and they are extremely grateful on the spot, they will forget about it completely in no time.

Even that's not all; what's even more baffling is that many patients, after receiving treatment, don't even offer a thank you. Instead, they just keep chanting thanks to God, Allah, and some unknown deity. As for you, the one who saved them? Get out of my way! God commanded you to save me!

—The American Mayflower pioneers, after sharing the grain and venison sent by the Native Americans, sincerely thanked the all-powerful God for sending them such a group of simple-minded natives during their most difficult time…

The most heartless people might even turn on you on the spot, accusing you of practicing medicine without a license and trying to extort money from you.

Nowadays, Chinese people know that you should never help an elderly person who has fallen to the ground; and Americans also know that you should never rescue a patient who has collapsed on the street.

Given that there are so many ungrateful people these days, one must be careful not only when saving lives, but also when doing good deeds, one should not seek recognition. The meager goodwill gained from patients is really hard to say whether it outweighs the long-term animosity from doctors and nurses.

Otherwise, why would Marvel superheroes, who have saved the world time and time again, attract so much hatred?

Besides politicians shifting blame and enemies smearing the government, the public's inherent tendency to take advantage and bully the weak while fearing the strong is also one of the reasons.

Of course, while that's what she thought, Phil knew she couldn't say it like that. After all, the reputation of refusing to help someone in distress is just as bad.

"...This...I'm afraid that's a bit difficult! I only have a limited amount of magic I can use each day, and I've already used up almost all of it trying to save Mr. Stark." Phil waved his hand, declining the offer, thinking to himself that these two brats wouldn't force him to come to the hospital again tomorrow to provide free medical care for their fellow New Orleans natives, would they? If they were really so tactless and clueless, then he would really have no choice but to break off all ties with them.

Generosity is indeed a commendable virtue, but being generous with other people's money is disgusting and hypocritical.

However, this is only Phil's way of thinking, not the way of thinking of the superheroes in the Marvel universe.

"...Ah, you need not worry about magic. Mr. Stark is already modifying his Arc Reactor."

The cloaked young man, Tyrone, pointed, and Phil looked over in astonishment. He immediately saw Tony sitting on a bench, holding a wrench, screwdriver, and other tools he had somehow acquired. He was using his masterful handcrafting skills, along with the divine grace bestowed upon him by the god of craftsmen—a magical all-purpose 3D printer—to hand-craft parts and install a series of incomprehensible and impressive gadgets on the Arc Reactor that had just been removed from his chest.

A large group of reporters surrounded Tony, holding their breath to film him at work. Although he was a world-renowned news figure and a super inventor who surpassed Edison, it was still rare for reporters to capture footage of Tony actually making things.

A moment later, amidst gasps of astonishment from the reporters and onlookers, and with a magic circle appearing out of thin air and a surging torrent of magic, Tony successfully transformed the ordinary arc reactor into a magical version. Then, swaggering over with the magical arc reactor, he parted the crowd and strode up to Phil, asking, "...The magic supply problem is solved. Now, are you going to go or should I?"

Looking back at the dean's ashen face in the distance, Phil finally began to understand why Marvel's superheroes were so hated.

Author's message

PS: I just learned an interesting little-known fact: Cherrapunji, the world's rainiest region on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, receives 20,000 to 26,000 millimeters of rainfall annually (15 times the rainfall in Shanghai), and it frequently suffers from drought!

The rainfall in this area is too concentrated; 97% of the precipitation occurs during the three summer months, leaving only 40 millimeters of rain in November, December, and January, causing widespread drought and crop failure. The correct solution would be to build water conservancy projects to store summer rainfall. However, the summer torrential rains and floods are terrifying, and India's infrastructure capabilities are poor; dams and reservoirs collapse every time they are built, ultimately leaving the locals living in one of the world's rainiest regions without access to drinking water.

Chapter 278, With great power comes great responsibility

"...Mr. Stark, do you know what you're doing? Don't be fooled by those two kids! The doctors at this hospital just went to great lengths to cure you, and you come here to cause trouble and steal their customers. That's just not right, is it?"

Seeing Tony holding the newly modified magical version of the arc reactor, looking utterly lacking in emotional intelligence, Phil had no choice but to try to reason with him. She pulled him aside and whispered, "...These patients and wounded are just trying to get a bargain. Do we really need to accommodate them like this?"

"...Heh, little kitty, do you think I don't know these things? But as Iron Man, why should I care about these things?"

Tony pursed his lips. "...We've acquired such powerful abilities, isn't it precisely to help those in need?"

"...You're not going to say something like 'With great power comes great responsibility,' are you? You actually believe that kind of nonsense that's only used to fool children?"

Phil sighed, and couldn't help but give him a look that said, "Your IQ is out of credit, please recharge as soon as possible." The next moment, he belatedly realized that the Spider-Man in this Marvel Cinematic Universe who takes this sentence as his motto is not expected to appear for several more years.

"...With great power comes great responsibility? That's actually quite true! Of course, it's not comprehensive enough."

Tony said thoughtfully, "...I understand what you mean, little kitty, but the problem is, you don't understand what a hero is! Only mediocre people are timid and afraid of being envied; heroes only uphold their ideals and never pay attention to the buzzing of flies!"

"Alright, since you have so many concerns, let me show you what I'm capable of this time! Hey, what's there to worry about in such a small situation?"

Next, relying on the immense divine grace bestowed by the seven gods, the vast energy provided by the Arc Reactor, and the unbelievable intelligence of Tony Stark, the chosen one, various magical spells such as [Minor Healing], [Moderate Healing], and [Complete Healing] continuously shone.

And one miraculous scene after another unfolded in the wards of New York Central Hospital.

— Burns and scalds heal instantly, paraplegics get off their wheelchairs, the blind see the light of day again, the deaf hear heavenly music again, those with broken legs or arms grow new limbs, those with disfigured faces regain their former appearance, and those seriously injured and unconscious wake up and sit up... In short, no matter what kind of serious illness or injury, as long as one [healing spell] is cast, at least five or six out of ten patients can be cured instantly.