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 on the

answer would

Should he lie?

even

the skills to lie

argue for the beast's

good reason, this would feel

Lightning Emperor? After all, he was much older and

give a neutral

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

Lightning Emperor answered as he drank more

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

Emperor didn't

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

Emperor remained

for the eventual payoff? The person could

Lightning Emperor's interest, but he let Shang

what I would

let it

the Lightning Emperor

existence has no impact or relevance," Shang

Lightning

to be

want to have any shot at reaching my goal. Even more, the beast's growth

me, it means my goal was

I might as well kill myself

Silence.

looked at Shang with a bit of

me to

you what I would do. I know that my own goals and priorities are not in line with most people's

"You are not me."

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

sounds a bit extreme. Is your goal

Shang said. "I sacrificed everything else, and I don't regret

but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or

from those geniuses, how many of

that is still a thousand people that I have

them from being