The days of being a spiritual mentor in Meiman.

Chapter 4162 is, The Supreme Mage (Part Two)

Strange was speechless with emotion.

This was the first time he'd ever known that there was actually a fuse on that greedy engine that hadn't gone out. Thank goodness. If OAA found out, he'd have to get up in the middle of the night to offer incense to God.

"This is a rather abstract explanation. If I had to find a reasonable one, it would be this: In my current state, it's hard for me to consider myself perfect. I know better than anyone how flawed my mental state is. This makes it difficult for me to comfortably place myself in a leadership position above others. Every excellent political leader needs a sufficient amount of narcissism; they must feel wise and courageous, rational and clear-headed enough, and firmly believe that their decisions are correct. Only in this way can they make decisions as quickly as possible, instead of hesitating or yielding unnecessarily. A person who is always self-doubting cannot be a leader."

"That makes some sense. You're a psychologist, so you understand everyone's mental state, including your own. From your perspective, there are no perfect people in this world, including yourself. Many people say they're imperfect or even feel that way, but when it comes to making a decision, they still think their own decision is the most correct. But if you don't think your decision is correct enough, why force others to have no other choice?"

"It's not me who leaves you with no choice, but your greed. If someone can truly overcome their greed, they will naturally have a choice. Everyone has their price; I'm just setting the price. Whether the deal goes through is up to you."

Strange's mind raced through a long string of memories, but he had to admit that many times, while they seemed to have no other choice, there was actually a hidden option: to give up.

Giving up readily available benefits, giving up a potentially bright future for humanity, giving up an ideal life, and giving up on things that could have gotten better. Only by retreating gracefully can one prevent greed from getting its way.

Yet, looking back on these memories, no one ever actually did it. They complained, but they still accepted the offer, selling everything they had, and it was their own greed that pressed the devil's button.

Strange increasingly understood that greed and arrogance were humanity's unavoidable original sins. When he was meditating alone or reading ancient books, he understood better than anyone that greed could destroy everything, yet when it came to actually making a decision, he simply couldn't resist his own greed.

Just like this multiverse war, he knew how dangerous it was, what kind of chaos it could cause, and that the entire universe might be destroyed—in fact, it did reach the brink of destruction. But didn't he still resolutely agree to the decision to make his own home the battlefield?
Didn't he learn nothing from the war, happily looting loot boxes and even wishing he could fight again?

Isn't he still sitting in front of this devil called greed, still listening to him, trying to understand his meaning, and giving him space to tempt himself?

Although he said he didn't understand politics and didn't like doing this kind of work, he didn't just turn around and leave, go back to Kamar-Taj to retreat and completely avoid getting involved in this mess, did he?

It can only be said that if they had been able to resist the temptation of greed, Adam and Eve would still be living happily in the Garden of Eden, and there would be no humankind as their descendants.

Strange sighed deeply, accepting the reality. Then he said, "So who do you think is suitable to be this leader?"

“I’ve decided to abstain,” Schiller said. “Because, as you said, each of these candidates has their strengths and weaknesses. They’re either not capable enough, not firm enough in their stance, or too firm. Just watch, there’s going to be quite a fight later.”

Strange's eyes lit up, and he said, "Oh, so you can abstain? Then I'll abstain too!"

“I can abstain, but you definitely can’t. I only represent myself, but you represent all mages. This is a powerful force that cannot be ignored…”

"Aren't you a formidable force that cannot be ignored?"

Schiller shook his head and said, "In politics, it's always a matter of self-interest. What determines who you support is what kind of benefits you want. Do you think there's any difference in the benefits these people could bring me if they came to power?"

“I don’t think anyone could force everyone to fill out those psychological assessment reports,” Strange said. “So it seems it doesn’t matter to you who’s in charge.”

"But it's different for you. Who can get the best deal for the monk? You should think about that carefully. Oh, the meeting's about to start, let's go."

Before Strange could think it through, Schiller had already walked out the door. Strange glanced at his watch and realized it was indeed time, so he had no choice but to follow him out.

Upon arriving at the conference room, we found it packed with guests, but the atmosphere was far from harmonious. The meeting hadn't even started before it began to rage.

Thankfully, it wasn't a war council meeting. To maintain their good image and composure, everyone mostly just sat in their seats and exchanged sarcastic remarks. Otherwise, they might have turned the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. upside down.

As Schiller and Strange walked over, someone reached out to them, and Schiller handed over his written opinion. Strange, somewhat embarrassed, rubbed his hands and said, "Uh, I haven't written one. I just got back a short time ago and haven't had a chance to write one yet."

“That’s alright,” Coulson said. “There’s still a while before the meeting starts. You can go back to your seat and write whatever you want.”

Strange was curious to see what others had written, but considering it might be a vote, he didn't want to see who others had voted for. So he took a pen and paper, went back to his seat, and started scratching his head.

Strange has never been good with words. He was a surgeon before, and later the Sorcerer Supreme, neither of which required much writing ability. After thinking for a long time, he still didn't know how to begin.

At that moment, Schiller's words echoed in his ears: Who can bring the greatest benefit to the group of mages?
Nick? Don't even think about it. That guy is extremely selfish. If he became the leader, he would only line his own pockets and probably give the others a pittance. Absolutely not.

Magneto? That guy is on the mutant side. If he comes to power, he will definitely prioritize the interests of mutants, and everyone else will have to step aside. That won't do.

Doctor Doom? Just listen to that name. He's a dangerous guy, and I've heard he's a tyrant in his own country. What if he's too harsh after taking power? Mages have their own rhythm; they won't tolerate a tyrant telling them what to do.

Stark? That guy is even worse. He can't even run a company properly. What if he shuts down the mage department one day, like he shut down the arms department? Someone who acts on a whim can never be a leader.

After much thought, Strange couldn't come up with a suitable candidate. But then, it dawned on him: who else could bring the greatest benefit to the mage community? Of course, it was himself!
He was the Sorcerer Supreme, a member of the Sorcerer Order himself, and had once been an ordinary human. He could think from the perspective of ordinary people, had never offended mutants, and did not engage in any national or racial discrimination. Everyone present was a friend. Letting him take the stage would benefit everyone, or at least cause no harm.

Strange's eyes darted around. The Sorcerer Supreme's reputation resounded throughout the universe; becoming humanity's political leader wasn't shameful at all. On the contrary, even aliens who looked down on humanity would have to give them some respect upon hearing his name. He could say that he was perfectly capable of being this leader.

While it might seem a bit unmodest to vote for myself, what's the point of being modest at this point? Just think about how many supporters those people mentioned earlier have, and while I haven't offended anyone, I'm not exactly on good terms with others either, so I doubt many people will vote for me.

Thinking about this, Strange felt some pressure. He felt he had to come up with sufficiently convincing reasons to win, given that he didn't have as many supporters as his opponents.

As the saying goes, pressure breeds motivation. Although he wasn't particularly good at writing, he had a knack for persuading others. In his rush, he didn't have time to agonize over the wording, and with a few strokes of his pen, he jotted down what he considered the most convincing reasons.

He filled a sheet of paper with writing, then folded it up briefly and handed it to Coulson. Meanwhile, Coulson was already backstage with a large stack of written comments.

Strange was the last to submit his opinion, which meant it was placed on top. When Nick came out to chair the meeting with the huge stack of opinions, Strange's was the first one he pulled out.

“Alright, let’s look at the first person’s opinion. The author of this opinion is Stephen Strange, and his opinion is… uh, some suggestions regarding the selection of human political leaders in the Interstellar Council?”

Nick's eyes widened as he read on, skipping all the reasons in the middle, until he saw only the last name. He suddenly stood up, waved his hand, and said, "Friends, Mr. Stephen Strange has volunteered himself in this proposal, listing many very credible reasons to recommend himself as the political leader of humanity. It's truly awe-inspiring! Since things have come to this, there's no other choice. Let's applaud such dedication!!!"

Everyone stood up, applauded wildly, and looked at Strange with admiration.

Strange was still a little confused. This wasn't the scene he had imagined. Wasn't the competition supposed to be fierce? Wasn't everyone supposed to have many supporters?

He thought he would have to go through a fierce debate, then use his eloquence to refute everyone, and after a hard-fought battle, successfully seize the leadership position. How could he have taken it so easily?
He first looked at Nick Fury, who was clearly extremely satisfied; to his left, Magneto was clapping, still expressionless, but obviously not angry; to his right, Doctor Doom was also clapping, showing no intention of objecting; and behind him, even Tony Stark was clapping. Had the sun risen in the west?!
Even the least perceptive Strange realized something was definitely amiss. Sure enough, he turned his head and saw Schiller exchanging glances with Nick, their expressions saying, "See? I told you so!"