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 the Lightning

his answer would

Should he lie?

wouldn't even attempt

skills to

for the

reason, this

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

give

to know what I would do, what someone else should do, what the village should

Lightning Emperor answered

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

didn't show

to either collectively raise

Lightning Emperor

nurture it for the eventual payoff?

Lightning Emperor's interest, but he let Shang

for what I

let

reason?" the Lightning

has no impact

the Lightning Emperor

goal is to be

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

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

means I might as

Silence.

looked at Shang with a bit

you just tell me to

that my own goals and priorities are not in line with

"You are not me."

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

"That sounds a bit extreme. Is

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

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

how many of them

people left from one trillion people, that is still a thousand people

from being