Chapter 442: Replacing the Body?

Roa fell into deep thought.

Are three World-Class Items a lot?

Undoubtedly, it's an enormous amount. For any other faction, even obtaining one would be considered incredibly wealthy.

However, Roa was still somewhat dissatisfied with this outcome.

The reason was simple: he felt he could squeeze out even more.

The negotiation stalled at this point.

No matter how much Roa argued, Ainz remained firm, sticking to the three World-Class Items. His unwavering stance left Roa feeling somewhat helpless.

They continued to talk for a long time, with Roa using both threats and enticements, exhausting nearly every idea he could think of.

Ainz simply nodded or shook his head occasionally.

Seeing that he couldn't extract any more value, Roa reluctantly conceded, "Alright, three it is. But I demand you pay with other magic as compensation."

If it were the old Ainz, he would have agreed to this immediately upon hearing the news.

However, this time Ainz paused for a moment before asking, "Can you learn our magic?"

Roa smiled and openly admitted, "Yes, I can learn your magic."

Ainz sighed deeply, his expression filled with helplessness.

"Ah, I should have known. You cunning human."

Ainz looked at Roa with a complex expression.

Roa grinned, revealing a bright smile. The young man said, "What do you think? It shouldn't be a loss for you, right?"

Ainz gave Roa a deep look, saying, "If I had known from the start that you possessed such an ability, I wouldn't have offered even Tenth-Tier magic, let alone Super-Tier magic."

Roa shrugged, anticipating Ainz's next words: "But it's too late now, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's all too late."

Ainz couldn't deny it. Even though he was just a skeleton, Roa felt that he seemed even more distressed.

"So, what's your decision?"

Roa didn't have much patience and directly asked. His previous haggling with Ainz had already exhausted too much of his patience.

If Ainz still refused to agree to his request, he wouldn't hesitate to annihilate the entire Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Ainz understood Roa's thoughts and knew this was the bottom line for both of them. Without much hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

"No problem, let's settle it like that. As for the World-Class Items, this is a significant matter. We need to discuss it internally within the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Please come back in three days, and I will give you a satisfactory answer."

Ainz's tone softened, and the relationship between the two returned to a more amicable state, moving away from the tense atmosphere.

Ainz naturally felt a slight pang of regret at handing over three World-Class Items, but once he made the decision, this regret quickly turned into relief. The weight on his heart finally lifted, and the immediate crisis was resolved.

How could Ainz not feel relieved?

If possible, Ainz really didn't want to use any of the [Twenty].

Roa's power was evident to Ainz. Previously, Ainz and four Guardians had tried to ambush Roa, but they were utterly defeated.

The information Roa revealed was even more shocking to Ainz.

Roa possessed two skills related to time, which meant that ordinary items and skills would have difficulty affecting him.

Even World-Class Items would only be effective if they were of the causal type, posing a significant threat to Roa.

For example, the Spear of Longinus, a [Twenty]-level item.

But unfortunately, Ainz didn't have this World-Class Item, and even if he did, he wouldn't want to use it here.

Because Roa's negotiation showed Ainz a possibility: they might be able to turn enemies into friends. If they could become friends, there was no need to resort to such measures.

And without using the [Twenty], the chances of defeating Roa were almost zero.

This was why Ainz was willing to negotiate with Roa and hand over three World-Class Items, hoping to avoid disaster by spending money.

In the end, neither of them wanted things to escalate too much.

Reaching a consensus was naturally the best outcome.

However, just as Ainz was about to leave, Roa stopped him.

"Ainz, wait a moment."

Ainz turned back and looked at Roa, saying in a deep voice, "Is there anything else?"

"Our transaction isn't finished yet."

Ainz frowned, his tone clearly becoming unfriendly. "What else do you want?"

Roa smiled, walked up to Ainz, and tried to keep his expression as amiable as possible. Roa said slowly, "This, well, it's actually about a transaction concerning you."

"A transaction concerning me?" Ainz asked, puzzled.

Roa explained, "Actually, Ainz, I have a high opinion of you."

"I know you're a player from the 21st century. Your knowledge and theories far surpass those of this world. If you could wholeheartedly embrace goodness, you could make this world a better place."

Ainz remained silent. Roa's words weren't just flattery. In fact, if he wanted to, he could easily advance the civilization of this world by a significant leap.

Although he was just an ordinary salaryman back on Earth, in a way, living in that era was like standing on the shoulders of giants.

Having transcended the limitations of history, applying modern values to the values of medieval Europe was like a dimensional strike.

This is why those novels always like to throw an ordinary person from the modern era into ancient times or the Middle Ages.

"So? What are you trying to say?"

Ainz couldn't stand Roa's rambling and cut straight to the point.

Roa's lips curled up, and he looked at Ainz, saying, "You know about the Seeds of the World Tree, right?"

Ainz's eyes narrowed, and he was somewhat surprised.

"I didn't expect you to know about the Seeds of the World Tree. Yes, I naturally know about this World-Class Item. It's a rare treasure, a World-Class Item that allows even the undead to freely change their race. What, do you have this item?"

Roa's expression remained unchanged, and he directly replied, "I naturally don't have it."

Ainz glanced at Roa, saying speechlessly, "Then why are you bringing it up?"

"Why? Naturally, it's for a transaction related to it."

Roa stopped being mysterious and explained, "The magic I possess can help you escape your current predicament."

"Predicament? I don't know what predicament I'm in. I think my life would be much better if there was one less of you in this world."

Roa ignored the sarcasm in Ainz's tone and shrugged, continuing, "Your personality is changing, isn't it? You know that, right?"

"So what?"

The smile on Roa's face gradually faded. He held up a finger and pointed it at Ainz, saying, "I can help you return to your original body. In other words, I can make you grow flesh again."

Ainz sneered, his crimson eyes staring directly at Roa. He said expressionlessly, "I thought you were going to say something worthwhile, but it's just this nonsense."

After a pause, Ainz continued, "Do you think I care about being human? Or do you think I have special feelings for humans?"

"No, no, don't overthink it. Whether you're human or not is completely unimportant to me."

Ainz's words were full of indifference and detachment, which made Roa frown.

"Do you not even care about what you are now? Don't try to fool me with those words. Games and reality are two different things. When you came to this world, this became your reality. Would the old you accept the way you are now?"

Ainz opened his mouth to retort, but Roa interrupted him, "Besides, is this life without any emotions, without any joy or sorrow, really what you want? This body is affecting you more than you think. You should understand that better than I do, Ainz."

Ainz fell silent.

Roa's words weren't without reason, but even if they were reasonable, reality was in front of him, and there was nothing he could do.

Seeing Ainz's silence, Roa knew that his words had struck a chord. Roa seized the opportunity and said, "Returning to human form, regaining your emotions, what do you think of this deal?"

Ainz turned his back, his head lowered, seemingly deep in thought.

But Roa knew that Ainz already had an answer in his heart.

The extent to which Ainz was being influenced wasn't too deep yet. If it were the later Ainz, these words would be almost ineffective.

After all, the Ainz of that time had almost abandoned all emotions, and the little bit of kindness he had as a human had long disappeared without a trace.

But the current Ainz was still the Ainz who had just transmigrated, and not much time had passed.

Roa's heart stirred, and he knew the time was right.

Roa continued, "Actually, this is the foundation of our cooperation, Ainz."

"To be honest, what happens to this world doesn't affect me much, but as a human, I still want to do some things, like this time."

"And this transaction is linked to the conditions above. As long as you agree to my request, I will directly restore your body, allowing you to experience the taste of being alive again. How about it?"

Ainz fell silent, not reacting for a moment.

Roa wasn't in a hurry and just looked at Ainz.

After a long time, Ainz slowly exhaled. He still didn't agree to Roa's transaction, saying in a deep voice, "Let's not talk about whether you can do it or not. First, most of my skills are class skills. If I lose this identity, my combat power will definitely plummet. As you said, there are strong enemies all around, and I can't afford to give up my class and choose to be human again. So, I'm sorry this time."

Roa sighed, his expression somewhat disappointed.

Disappointment was inevitable. If Ainz could transform into a human and break free from the constraints of his race, Roa would be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

You have to know that according to Ainz's own alignment, he is on the side of extreme evil.

Don't think that Ainz hasn't done anything outrageous now, but as long as time passes, problems are almost inevitable.

So Roa thought about whether he could use his skills to forcibly transform Ainz's race into a human.

However, it seems that it's still a bit impossible to convince Ainz with just a few words.

But Roa still hadn't given up. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said, "In that case, let me create a body for you with magic. Your consciousness should be able to reside in it. As long as you reside in this body, you should be able to temporarily break free from that constraint and re-experience the feeling of being human. What do you think?"

Ainz's eyes lit up. Roa's compromise was undoubtedly a good solution.

To be honest, Ainz had been quite troubled recently.

Before transmigrating, he was an adult male, and he had a strange desire for many things, such as love, affection, or friendship. These were all extremely precious to him.

However, as time went on, he gradually realized that everything he had valued was becoming indifferent.

But if he could put his consciousness into another body as Roa said, and re-experience the joy of being human, then he might be able to achieve some kind of delicate balance between the two bodies.

"But, can you really do it?"

Ainz was skeptical and looked at Roa with suspicion.

Roa's answer was simple: "Let's first talk about how you can create a body without consciousness. Even if you create a body that meets the conditions, I don't have the corresponding magic to transfer my consciousness."

Roa smiled slightly, and the young man said confidently, "It's simple, I'll teach you. Actually, strictly speaking, this can't be considered transferring consciousness. Well, if you have to say it, you can call it - Soul Division."

"Divide a portion of your soul and occupy that body. The clone has all the feelings and experiences. You can manipulate it to do things you want to do. These experiences and feelings will return to your mind."

Roa paused here, then looked at Ainz meaningfully and said, "Of course, this magic has another use, that is, to directly occupy the entire soul in that body, so that you can experience life 100%. Well, the operation is very different, I call this method - Body Seizing."