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

answer

Should he lie?

even

had the skills to lie in front

argue for the beast's

a good reason, this would

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

give a

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

the Lightning Emperor answered as

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

Lightning Emperor didn't

choice for the village is to either collectively raise the beast to make it follow everyone's orders

Lightning Emperor

ambition. Is it worth the risk to nurture it for the eventual payoff? The person could become the leader of the village.

piqued the Lightning Emperor's interest, but

for what I would

would let

your reason?" the Lightning

existence has no

elaborate," the Lightning Emperor said

goal is to be

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

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

as well kill

Silence.

Emperor looked at Shang

just tell me to kill myself?" he

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 make that choice or that it is the

sounds a bit extreme. Is your goal really that important to

said. "I sacrificed everything else, and

billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many people there are, there have

geniuses, how many of them

there are only a thousand people left from one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that

stops them from being