Sword God in a World of Magic

Shang wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

For now, he decided to remain silent.

"Let me explain my conundrum with a metaphor," the Lightning Emperor said.

"Imagine you are a mortal and live in a village with 50 other villagers. You don't have any sort of real societal standards and norms, and the strongest person in the village is the leader."

"Now, imagine there is a council of five leaders since they don't want to fight each other for whatever reason, and you are one of them."

"One day, you find the offspring of a very powerful beast, which is far more powerful than any member of the council."

"You nurture it, and it follows you."

"Yet, it doesn't completely follow your commands, and you know that there is a chance that it might attack you and everyone else. After all, it is still a wild beast."

"But maybe, it will also help you."

"But also only you. What if it attacks any of the others in the village?"

"Right now, the beast is still a baby."

"So, what do you do?"

"Do you nurture it?"

"Do you kill it?"

"Do you ask the others?"

The Lightning Emperor drank another mouthful of tea.

"Everything about this beast screams risk at you. No matter what happens, it will be a risk. If it isn't one for you, it definitely will be one for the village."

"But you like the village. You live in the village. You are happy with the village."

"You don't want your beast to kill other villagers."

"But it very likely will."

"So, what would you do?" the Lightning Emperor asked.

Sense focused on the

his answer

Should he lie?

wouldn't even

the skills to lie in front

argue for

reason, this would

of the decision to the Lightning Emperor? After all, he was much older and much

he give a

know what I would do, what someone else should do, what the village

Lightning Emperor answered as he

Shang said. "If you can't do that, nurture it and trust that it won't betray

Emperor didn't

is to either collectively raise the beast to

Emperor remained

it would depend on their ambition. Is it worth the risk to nurture it for the eventual payoff? The person could become the leader of the village. Maybe, they could even leave the village and go someplace better with the

Emperor's interest, but he

what

would let

reason?" the Lightning

existence has no impact or relevance," Shang

the Lightning Emperor said

is to be the strongest," Shang

the beast if I want to have any shot at reaching my goal. Even more, the beast's growth might even give me

is stronger than me, it means my goal

means I might as well kill myself

Silence.

Emperor looked at Shang

tell me

answered emotionlessly. "I told you what I would do. I know that my own

"You are not me."

that choice in your case, it doesn't mean that you should make that

bit extreme. Is

all I have left," Shang said. "I sacrificed everything else, and I don't

world. Geniuses might be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many people there are, there have to be lots of

geniuses, how many of them

from one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that I have to defeat if I want

stops them from being the