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

answer would

Should he lie?

wouldn't even

had the skills to lie in front

argue for the

a good reason, this

Lightning Emperor? After all, he was much

he give a neutral

to know what I would do, what someone else should do, what the village should do, or what the morally correct thing to do

of them," the Lightning Emperor answered as he drank more

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

Lightning Emperor didn't

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

Lightning Emperor

do, 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

piqued the Lightning Emperor's interest, but he let Shang

as for what

would let it

reason?" the Lightning Emperor

no impact or relevance," Shang

Lightning Emperor said with

be

to have any shot at reaching my goal. Even

is stronger than me, it means my goal was impossible to achieve

means I might as well kill

Silence.

Emperor looked at Shang with

me

what I would do. I know that my own goals and

"You are not me."

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

an eyebrow. "That sounds a bit extreme. Is your goal really that important

left," Shang said. "I sacrificed everything

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

many of them are

thousand people left from one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that I have to

from being the