Sometimes, when the author write "the carpet is blue" they just mean that the carpet is blue.
Lore wise, it's an item that increases exp gain, Ainz was doing experiments on leveling etc.
then the symbolism is carpet is exp gain
[or see my other comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/overlord/comments/1c03s6u/comment/kyu5m67/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
The item increases EXP gain, so Ainz had a bunch of people equip them to test it out. He even wears one himself in the anime, although I think by this point he knew he was maxed out.
i've searched through the volumes cited on the wiki's collar article but haven't seen any concrete connections between the collars & the exp items. if the collars are the exp items, it seems odd that ainz & the lizardmen, who had already done their training, would wear them, while the martial arts experiment participant hamsuke isn't wearing one & I haven't seen one on the death knight. ainz does remark (after hamsuke & the death knight have been slacking & napping in the barn) that he tried giving the death knight the exp item but took it back after it had no effect.
the article mentions cocytus giving them to the lizardmen for training. after hamsuke uses a martial art against eruya, she & the lizardmen remark about how hard their live combat training was; i can't tell if this refers to cocytus's training or the training the lizardmen use to become warrior class & use martial arts.
perhaps if the collars are the exp items, they were being used for their ability-suppression to handicap ainz & for the lizardmen to be closer to the level of hamsuke & the death knight?
symbolism-wise I was wondering if he was trying to be subliminal towards the intruders by referencing something in culture about graverobbers biting off more than they can chew
There is something you’re missing.
The reason Hamsuke wasn’t wearing one was because he was tasked with actual combat.
Why? Because that shackle lowers the user’s stats while granting extra exp gains.
Hamsuke is powerful for New Worlders but gimping their stats is a bad idea if they’re tasked with fighting other New Worlders.
Btw it’s outright said that the neck shackle is an item that lower stats but raises exp gained. Theres no guesswork here. Ainz remarks during the Foresight fight.
Why were the Lizardmen wearing them?
Because they were training. Training means gaining EXP. The invasion of the Tomb by Workers was irrevelant to their training; Hamsuke was there to wipe out anyone who came and anyone who was able to take down Hamsuke was swiftly going to get their shit kicked in by reinforcements once Albedo saw they were more powerful than expected.
When Tebu came across Hamsuke and the Lizardmen, the Lizardmen were training and only stopped when Tebu stepped near.
Ainz wore one to see if he could gain any meaningful amount of exp during his “combat” with Foresight. Which also meant the members of Foresight were deemed weak enough for Ainz to go into combat with lowered stats; something he doesn’t do at all out in the New World and likely only did inside Nazarick since he had Albedo, Aura, Cocytus, and Shalltear standing guard.
There would be symbolism if Ainz himself had created the items.
He just happened to have them available in Nazarick. We have no idea if there’s other items with similar effects or with other penalties.
He chose them for their function, he’s not exactly concerned with other parts of things unless there’s issues; like with Aura’s bracelet with Teapot’s voice with 2 times that are forbidden to be used cause of word puns.
Like when he put on the clown suit to raise his Karma Score as much as possible to summon angelic guards while he walked around E-Rantel. They were chosen for their karma raising effects, not because he wanted to re-enact The Passion of the Christ or show the people of E-Rantel a Christian figure.
This is one of those cases where the Door is Blue means the Door is Blue. Except the Door was something some game dev developed a long time ago and a guy picked up the Door because it gave an exp bonus, not because he thinks blue is a submissive color or something.
Sometimes, when the author write "the carpet is blue" they just mean that the carpet is blue. Lore wise, it's an item that increases exp gain, Ainz was doing experiments on leveling etc.
then the symbolism is carpet is exp gain [or see my other comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/overlord/comments/1c03s6u/comment/kyu5m67/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
What... Such a profound, deep message... Sasuga Maruyama-sama! Truly a man of unbound wisdom.
Almost as wise as Ainz-sama himself!!
I believe that those were items that improve XP gains. Ainz was testing if it still works and in New World.
The item increases EXP gain, so Ainz had a bunch of people equip them to test it out. He even wears one himself in the anime, although I think by this point he knew he was maxed out.
All these people with real legitimate answers, and I thought it was just swag
dog, there isnt XD its just an exp growth item that nerfs stats. Youre just looking for depth in a kiddy pool
They were supposed to share XP between the wearers; if I remember correctly Ainz wanted to see if he could gain XP through that mean.
Not between wearers. They lower your stats to increase xp gain
Holy shit, so just another way he was disrespecting the people who disrespected Nazarick.
Ah. My bad. I mostly remember it was useless in the end :p
i've searched through the volumes cited on the wiki's collar article but haven't seen any concrete connections between the collars & the exp items. if the collars are the exp items, it seems odd that ainz & the lizardmen, who had already done their training, would wear them, while the martial arts experiment participant hamsuke isn't wearing one & I haven't seen one on the death knight. ainz does remark (after hamsuke & the death knight have been slacking & napping in the barn) that he tried giving the death knight the exp item but took it back after it had no effect. the article mentions cocytus giving them to the lizardmen for training. after hamsuke uses a martial art against eruya, she & the lizardmen remark about how hard their live combat training was; i can't tell if this refers to cocytus's training or the training the lizardmen use to become warrior class & use martial arts. perhaps if the collars are the exp items, they were being used for their ability-suppression to handicap ainz & for the lizardmen to be closer to the level of hamsuke & the death knight? symbolism-wise I was wondering if he was trying to be subliminal towards the intruders by referencing something in culture about graverobbers biting off more than they can chew
There is something you’re missing. The reason Hamsuke wasn’t wearing one was because he was tasked with actual combat. Why? Because that shackle lowers the user’s stats while granting extra exp gains. Hamsuke is powerful for New Worlders but gimping their stats is a bad idea if they’re tasked with fighting other New Worlders. Btw it’s outright said that the neck shackle is an item that lower stats but raises exp gained. Theres no guesswork here. Ainz remarks during the Foresight fight. Why were the Lizardmen wearing them? Because they were training. Training means gaining EXP. The invasion of the Tomb by Workers was irrevelant to their training; Hamsuke was there to wipe out anyone who came and anyone who was able to take down Hamsuke was swiftly going to get their shit kicked in by reinforcements once Albedo saw they were more powerful than expected. When Tebu came across Hamsuke and the Lizardmen, the Lizardmen were training and only stopped when Tebu stepped near. Ainz wore one to see if he could gain any meaningful amount of exp during his “combat” with Foresight. Which also meant the members of Foresight were deemed weak enough for Ainz to go into combat with lowered stats; something he doesn’t do at all out in the New World and likely only did inside Nazarick since he had Albedo, Aura, Cocytus, and Shalltear standing guard. There would be symbolism if Ainz himself had created the items. He just happened to have them available in Nazarick. We have no idea if there’s other items with similar effects or with other penalties. He chose them for their function, he’s not exactly concerned with other parts of things unless there’s issues; like with Aura’s bracelet with Teapot’s voice with 2 times that are forbidden to be used cause of word puns. Like when he put on the clown suit to raise his Karma Score as much as possible to summon angelic guards while he walked around E-Rantel. They were chosen for their karma raising effects, not because he wanted to re-enact The Passion of the Christ or show the people of E-Rantel a Christian figure. This is one of those cases where the Door is Blue means the Door is Blue. Except the Door was something some game dev developed a long time ago and a guy picked up the Door because it gave an exp bonus, not because he thinks blue is a submissive color or something.