Ogden was excited and he immediately wanted to find out how he could seal his memories. If they were given a chance to skip it who would want to become a baby again anyway?
"What do you mean seal my memories?"
"It's a technique that was developed by a bored reincarnator who didn't want to go through the process of growing up every time due to limited mobility and freedom. As long as you seal your memories to be unlocked at the age you designated or a special event you should be okay.
There are also instant growth techniques but most reincarnators don't like using that unless they were born as a monster race or animals. Otherwise, it would be too high profile and that would create problems"
"Great! So how can I seal my memories?" Ogden was not the least bit interested in instant growth technique. He only wanted to learn how to seal his memories so he can act like a proper child and not draw any attention to himself.
"Well, you can't. You don't know any cultivation, magic or ki techniques"
That was reasonable. If he ever goes to a world with supernatural powers Ogden decided that his first focus was going to be learning how to seal memories.
"Then can you do it for me?" Ogden asked with hope. He was certain that Zerem could help him. Otherwise, why would he even mention such a thing in the first place? That would make him a great sadist.
"I can but I won't"
"... but why?" Ogden couldn't understand what Zerem was trying to imply here.
"Because I am your neighbour and not your nanny. Also, everyone went through the humiliation of being a newborn at least once what makes you think I will let you take the easy way out while I, myself, have suffered."
Ogden opened his mouth but couldn't find anything to say. It was human nature to want others to suffer from the same things as you but this was still a little over the top wasn't it?
"Has anyone ever told you that you were a petty person?" Ogden eventually said showing his dislike towards Zerem's attitude.
Zerem on the other hand wasn't offended by this in any way and instead laughed loudly
"Hahaha, quite a lot actually. I was born as a mighty orc! No amount of reincarnations can change my nature" Zerem said proudly. Did that mean all orcs were petty?
"Oh is that why you look like this?" Ogden was actually wondering why Zerem was an orc. He expected that if he was a perpetual reincarnator that would mean he was a human at least once so why was he looking like an orc? He even thought maybe his last life was an orc and that was the reason.
"Yes, our soul or rather our body in the underworld can change its form however we want but unless we specify a form it usually changes to something we are most comfortable with. For some people, it is their first life, for some its one in which they have lived the longest and for the others, it's their last life"
That was actually pretty interesting. Ogden had an urge to change his looks now. He liked how he looked, he wasn't too handsome but he wasn't ugly either. This was the perfect look for someone like him who didn't like drawing attention and just went along with the flow of life.
"Are you interested in changing your looks?"
"Honestly, yes but I am not too sure. I like how I look now and I am going to reincarnate as soon as possible anyway so maybe next time I am here"
"Well, suit yourself"
"Umm, this might be a little racist to ask but do I have to reincarnate as an orc too? If possible I just want to keep living my lives as a human"
"What's wrong with being an orc! Also for your information reincarnation is mostly random. You might even be born as a caterpillar. Aside from your gender, everything else is random. Actually, gender is not absolute as well. For me, the ratio is for every ten reincarnations eight of them are male and two of them are female.
Right now you might be afraid of becoming a woman but after a couple of reincarnations and get bored of being a male you will actively seek a female life. A piece of advice from a senior; before losing your virginity use a lot of lubricants and make sure you are really wet down there otherwise it's going to hurt like hell. Oh, also aside from the first child you will definitely have to make sure to use contraceptives. I tell ya, giving birth is so painful, even for me, and I was once burnt in a sea of fire for a thousand years!"
Imagining the orc in front of him, who seemed like the epitome of masculinity, acting girly and even having sex was trauma-inducing. Just imagining it was enough to churn Ogden's stomach. Still, he did not disregard Zerem's advice.
Actually, unlike one might think Ogden was not really appalled with the idea of becoming a woman. This didn't mean he liked men or anything. It was that this was something outside of his control so if luck would have him be a woman he wouldn't really mind. This perfectly suited his go with the flow personality.
Also just because he would become a woman didn't mean that he had to like men. He could still become a lesbian and go with his life in a normal way. After all, as someone from a world where they heavily fought for LGBTQ rights, he wasn't thinking that same-sex relationship might be some kind of taboo in the world he would reincarnate to and this meant that those activists succeeded in their mission as Ogden, who was just a common person, did not have any thoughts about their community and accepted them as normal compared to years ago when they were shunned heavily even by the common populace.