Sword God in a World of Magic

Shang hesitated for a moment.

"What is your goal, and what approach are you using to get closer to it?" Shang asked.

Duke Whirlwind's eyes shone for a short moment.

This was a very personal question, and Shang had directly asked Duke Whirlwind about his personal philosophy when it came to becoming more powerful.

One could say that Shang had asked for the secret of becoming as powerful as a Duke. After all, Duke Whirlwind's approach had obviously worked out very well, and knowing how he operated could very likely pay off in a big way.

"Those are two questions," Duke Whirlwind commented.

"There is only one question mark at the end," Shang answered.

Duke Whirlwind remained silent for a bit.

"Alright, I'll answer your question, and the reason why I am answering this question has to do with the answer," Duke Whirlwind said.

Shang nodded and listened to the Duke.

"As for the first question, my goal is to become an Archmage and to have my own Kingdom," Duke Whirlwind said.

Shang wasn't surprised by the answer.

"And as to how I'm trying to achieve it, investment and efficiency," Duke Whirlwind said.

"I can spend 24 hours per day working on my Magic, but that would only be the effort of one High Mage at a time. I can continually grow more powerful by working on my Magic, but without resources, I might not have enough time to become an Archmage."

"However, if I have access to rare and powerful materials, advanced studies, esoteric concepts, and plenty of teachers, I can grow many times faster than if I were on my own."

"But all of these things require wealth. Without wealth, I can't access these things. That's where the investment aspect comes into play."

"I don't have many hours in the day to myself, but the few hours I have are more profitable than several days of working on myself without pause."

"And how did I gain the wealth necessary to become this efficient?"

"Other people."

"I burn through millions of gold each day just to accelerate my growth. If I were on my own, I would never be able to pay such a large sum of money."

"So, I invest, not into corporations or resources, but into people."

"Every person has something they are good at, but many of those people never get the chance to realize their potential."

"Poverty, suppression, enemies, there are many things that will kill talent in its infancy."

of people weaker than

much, but I am essentially saving that person's life. At the current moment, the

gets the opportunity, time, and resources to fully realize their potential,

loyal, and powerful. They handle all my lands with dedication, and they are happy to

Taking advantage of a True Mage might bring immense profits

if everyone is happy working for

Whirlwind looked

the weak

and naïve people, giving them

end, it's up

the defenseless, or am I

answer, two things

anyone, and everyone working for me is doing so

they are generating the resources

that answer your

several thoughts went through his

his method to becoming more powerful very

been a bit

plenty of nice managers in his past life. They were friendly,

when there was profit to be made,

smiling and asked Shang not to

feared that Duke Whirlwind might be

logical and objective explanation

was a concept on Earth that described the cause and

Karma.

thought that Karma was some rule the Gods had made to punish the wicked and

simply the term to

needed a place to live,

what would most likely happen if person

would be more inclined to

Why?

person A in the past, and

with person A was of no more value

B got into trouble later, person A would very likely

should they? Person B hadn't

about likelihood,

problems with throwing someone away that had helped them before, and there were

general, this

This was Karma.

cause and effect when it came to interacting with other

Whirlwind was helping weaker people so that they would one day help

to this mindset