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

that his answer would decide his

Should he lie?

even attempt

he had the skills to lie in front of a Mage

argue for the beast's

a good reason, this would feel

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

give a

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

the Lightning Emperor answered

send it out of the village," Shang said. "If you

didn't show

village is to either collectively raise the beast

Lightning 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 the leader of

Lightning Emperor's interest, but he

as for what I

would let

your reason?" the

no

the Lightning Emperor said with

goal is to be the strongest,"

means that I must be stronger than the beast if I want to have any shot at reaching my goal. Even more, the

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

as well kill myself right

Silence.

Shang with

you just tell me

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

"You are not me."

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

"That sounds a bit extreme. Is

"I sacrificed everything else, and I

world. Geniuses might be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many

from those geniuses, how many of them

is still a thousand people that I have to defeat if I

them from being