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

knew that his answer would

Should he lie?

even attempt

to lie

argue for

reason, this would feel

Lightning Emperor? After all, he was

he give a neutral

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

answered as he drank more

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

didn't show

smartest choice for the village is to either collectively raise the beast to make it follow everyone's

Lightning Emperor remained

eventual payoff? The person could become the leader of the village. Maybe,

Emperor's interest,

for what I would

would let

your reason?" the Lightning Emperor

existence has no impact

elaborate," the Lightning

to be the strongest," Shang

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

if it turns out that the beast is stronger than me, it means my goal was impossible to achieve

means I might as

Silence.

at Shang with

me to kill myself?"

that my own goals and priorities are not in line with

"You are not me."

mean that you should make that choice or that

sounds a bit extreme. Is your goal really that important to

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

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

those geniuses, how many of them are

still

stops them from being