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 would

Should he lie?

wouldn't even attempt

to lie in

argue for the

reason, this would feel

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

he give a neutral

else should do, what the village should do, or what the morally correct thing to do is?" Shang

answered as he drank more

of the village," Shang said. "If

Emperor didn't

village is to either collectively raise the beast to make

Emperor

for what a normal person would do, it would depend on their ambition. Is it worth the risk to nurture it for the eventual payoff? The person could become

Lightning Emperor's interest, but he let Shang

what I

let it

your reason?" the

its existence has no impact

Lightning Emperor said with

be the strongest," Shang

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

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

might as well

Silence.

looked at Shang with a bit

tell me to

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

"You are not me."

in your case, it doesn't mean

bit

"I sacrificed everything else, and I don't

be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many people there are, there

from those geniuses, how many of them are

people, that is still a thousand people that I have to defeat if I want to become the

them from being