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.

focused on the Lightning

his answer would decide

Should he lie?

even attempt

he had the skills to lie in

for the

a good reason,

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

give a neutral

someone else should do, what the village should do, or

the Lightning Emperor answered as he

Shang

Emperor didn't

either collectively raise the beast to make it follow everyone's

Lightning Emperor

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 Lightning Emperor's interest,

as for what

would let

reason?" the Lightning

no impact or

the Lightning Emperor said with

be the strongest,"

reaching my goal. Even more, the beast's growth

that the beast is stronger than me, it means my goal

might as well

Silence.

at Shang with

just tell me to

my own goals and priorities are not in line with

"You are not me."

it doesn't mean that you should make that choice or that it

bit extreme. Is your goal really that

Shang said. "I sacrificed everything else, and

so many people in this world. Geniuses might be rare, but among billions, trillions,

those geniuses, how many of

one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that I

from