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 Lightning

that his answer would decide his

Should he lie?

wouldn't even attempt

had the skills to lie in

he argue for

reason, this

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

he give a neutral

what the

the Lightning Emperor answered as he drank more of his

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

didn't show

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

Emperor

it for the eventual payoff? The person could become the leader of the village. Maybe, they could even leave

the Lightning Emperor's interest, but

what I

would let

your reason?" the

existence has no

Lightning Emperor said with

to be the strongest," Shang

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

turns out that the beast is stronger than me, it means my

might as well kill myself

Silence.

at Shang with

tell me to kill myself?"

told you what I would do. I know that my own goals and priorities are not in line with

"You are not me."

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

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

said. "I sacrificed everything else, and I

be rare, but among billions, trillions,

how many

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

them from being the