I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

Chapter 153: Seven Days

The seven days passed far more quickly than Lukas had imagined.

It felt as though he had only just arrived at Castle Hark, and now he was once again standing before the enormous doors of the library for the last time before leaving.

Time flowed differently in that sacred place of knowledge, as if the hours were made of fine sand slipping swiftly through his fingers.

From the morning of the second day onward, his routine became almost exactly the same. He woke up early, even before the sun had fully risen above the Great Rock, ate a simple breakfast prepared by the servants, warm bread, fresh milk, and seasonal fruit, and headed straight to the library of Castle Hark.

The castle corridors were silent at that hour, illuminated only by oil lamps that cast dancing shadows upon the stone walls. The sound of his footsteps echoed softly as he walked the familiar path, now memorized after so many trips back and forth throughout the week.

He only left the enormous hall during mealtimes. The librarians, who had initially watched him with curiosity, had already grown accustomed to his constant presence. They prepared a small table near the window for him, with fresh water and a few snacks, so that he would not need to stay away for long.

The rest of the time...

Was devoted exclusively to books.

His hands moved from one volume to another with an almost insatiable hunger. Every book he opened was a window into a new world, every page he turned was a new discovery. The library, with its thousands of volumes, was an ocean of knowledge in which he swam with delight.

With every new volume he opened, his understanding of the world grew. Not only broader, but deeper.

The connections between historical events, the relationships between kingdoms, and the cultural influences that spread like waves across the centuries, all of it gradually began to fit into a pattern he was only beginning to comprehend.

History, geography, politics, religions, kingdoms, empires, economy, and cultures. Everything seemed interconnected in a way he had never imagined.

He learned that the Five Empires were still considered the greatest powers of the Human Continent of Hyndor, ruling hundreds of smaller kingdoms scattered throughout their territories. Each empire had its own power structure, traditions, and methods of governance.

He discovered that some kingdoms had existed for thousands of years, their dynasties stretching across the centuries like ancient trees whose roots reached deep into history. Others, meanwhile, rose and fell within only a few decades, destroyed by wars, internal crises, or monster invasions from the untamed regions.

He also discovered that the oceans were far larger than any map could truly represent. The available nautical charts covered only the known trade routes, leaving vast stretches of water blank, marked only with vague annotations.

"Monsters here."

"Eternal storms."

"Unknown land."

Expeditions constantly vanished while attempting to explore them. Entire ships simply disappeared, never to be seen again.

Whole islands appeared and disappeared from the maps, as though the ocean itself were in a constant state of change. Magical storms prevented navigation through certain regions, creating barriers that no ship could cross.

It was as if the world itself still concealed countless secrets. No matter how much humanity had conquered the continent, no matter how many empires and cities they had built, there were still vast regions beyond their reach.

The more he learned... the more questions arose. Every answer opened the door to dozens of new questions, every discovery revealing the vastness of what he still did not know.

After history, he spent days studying geography. His eyes wandered over ancient and modern maps, comparing borders that had shifted over the centuries and identifying trade routes connecting distant kingdoms.

He memorized the principal kingdoms of the Empire of Lagon, the region to which the Kingdom of Rhyne belonged. He learned the locations of the greatest mountain ranges, deserts, ancient forests, and forbidden regions. Every name on a map was a story waiting to be told, a place he might one day visit.

He discovered that Hyndor contained countless regions where not even human armies dared to enter. Forests where trees had absorbed mana for thousands of years, becoming so powerful that the forest itself had become a living, conscious organism.

Swamps where venomous creatures dominated the entire food chain and where a single misstep could mean a slow and painful death.

Mountain ranges inhabited by beasts capable of destroying entire cities. Peaks so high they reached the clouds, where the air was thin and the cold could kill within minutes. Creatures adapted to those extreme conditions lived there, intolerant of any intruders.

There were also enormous ruins left behind by the ancient races. Entire abandoned cities, temples dedicated to forgotten gods, and fortresses built with techniques that modern humans could no longer reproduce.

Very few adventurers ever returned alive from such places, but those who did often became wealthy overnight, bringing back treasures worth unimaginable fortunes.

The subject that captured his attention more than anything else, however, was something else.

Beasts.

Lukas practically exhausted the entire library section devoted to magical creatures. He spent hour after hour immersed in those pages, his eyes devouring every description, every illustration, and every detail about the creatures that inhabited that world.

Each possessed completely different characteristics. Some were born naturally absorbing mana from their surroundings, growing stronger as time passed.

Others evolved over the years, undergoing transformations that carried them from simple forms into complex and powerful creatures.

There were creatures capable of controlling fire, their bodies so hot that the air around them shimmered with distortion.

Others manipulated ice with a precision no human mage could hope to match.

Some commanded lightning, channeling the electricity of the heavens as though they were part of the storm itself.

There were gigantic serpents that lived for thousands of years, so ancient that their memories held the secrets of bygone ages. Birds capable of summoning storms, whose flight was so powerful it could flatten entire forests.

Intelligent monkeys that wielded both tools and magic, building complex societies among the treetops.

Wolves whose fur absorbed mana during nights of the full moon, making them nearly invulnerable while the moon shone overhead.

Some books even described trees that devoured animals, their roots moving slowly to capture unsuspecting prey.