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.

Spirit Sense focused

answer would

Should he lie?

wouldn't even attempt

he had the skills to lie in front of a Mage

argue for

reason,

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

he give

else should do, what the village should do, or what the morally correct thing to

the Lightning Emperor answered as he drank more of

be to send it out of the village," Shang said. "If you can't do that, nurture it and trust that it won't

Lightning Emperor didn't

the village is to either collectively raise the beast to

Lightning Emperor remained

Is it worth the risk to nurture it for the eventual payoff? The person could become the leader of the village. Maybe, they

interest, but he let Shang

as for what I would

let it

the Lightning Emperor

existence has no impact

the Lightning Emperor said with

goal is to be the strongest,"

any shot at reaching my goal.

that the beast is stronger than me, it means

as

Silence.

Lightning Emperor looked at Shang with a bit of

me to kill

"I told you what I would do. I know that my own goals and priorities are not in line

"You are not me."

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

bit extreme. Is your goal

left," Shang said. "I sacrificed everything else, and

rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however

geniuses, how many of them are

are only a thousand people left from one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that I

stops them from being