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

his answer would decide his

Should he lie?

wouldn't even

the skills to lie

he argue for

reason, this would

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

he give a neutral

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

them," the Lightning Emperor answered as he

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

Emperor didn't

raise the beast to make it follow everyone's

Emperor remained

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

Emperor's interest, but he

what

let it

reason?" the Lightning Emperor

no

elaborate," the Lightning Emperor said

be the strongest,"

any shot at reaching my

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

might as well kill myself

Silence.

Emperor looked at Shang

tell me to

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 make that choice or that it is the

bit extreme. Is your goal really

have left," Shang said. "I sacrificed everything

be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many

many of

one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that I have to defeat if

from being the