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 the Lightning

that his answer would decide his

Should he lie?

wouldn't even attempt

to lie in front of a Mage

for

reason, this would feel

Lightning Emperor? After all, he was much

he give a neutral

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

answered as he drank

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

Lightning Emperor didn't show

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

Emperor

Is it worth the risk to nurture it for the eventual payoff? The person could become the

the Lightning Emperor's interest, but

for what I would

let it

your reason?" the Lightning Emperor

existence has no impact or relevance," Shang

Lightning Emperor

be the strongest,"

stronger than the beast if I want to have any shot at reaching my

beast is stronger than me, it means my goal was

means I might as well kill

Silence.

at Shang with a bit of

me to

what I would do. I know that my own goals and priorities are not in

"You are not me."

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

eyebrow. "That sounds a bit extreme. Is your goal really that

I have left," Shang said. "I sacrificed everything

so many people in this world. Geniuses might be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many people there

from those geniuses, how many of them

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

from being