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.

Spirit Sense focused on

knew that his answer would

Should he lie?

even attempt

doubted that he had the skills to lie in front of a Mage

argue for the

a good reason, this

responsibility of the decision to the Lightning Emperor?

he give a neutral

do, what the village should do, or

answered

the village," Shang said. "If

Emperor didn't

is to either collectively raise the beast to make

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 the village. Maybe, they could even leave the village and go someplace better with the beast's

Lightning Emperor's interest, but

for what I

would let

the Lightning

has no impact or relevance," Shang

Lightning

be

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

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

might as well kill myself

Silence.

at Shang with a bit

you just tell me

Shang answered emotionlessly. "I told you what I would do. I know that my own goals and priorities are not

"You are not me."

that choice in your case, it doesn't mean that you should make that choice or that it is the

raised an eyebrow. "That sounds a bit extreme. Is your

all I have left," Shang said. "I sacrificed everything else, and I

be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many people there are, there have to be lots of

geniuses, how many of them are extremely

that is still a thousand people that I

stops them from being the