Even while going to the library, Pandora wanted to follow Julian.
He was exasperated.
Though he felt flattered that such a beautiful Succubus loved him so much and was so clingy, claiming to be his personal assistant, Julian still couldn't handle her enthusiasm. It already bothered on the point of being creepy.
But Julian didn't blame her, he already remembered Pandora's past.
Before falling in love with him, as a Princess of the Succubus Dynasty, Pandora was a scary and extremely arrogant Illusionist.
Hailed as one of the most talented Succubus of her generation, she was a Mayadere who started as an enemy, one of the most villainous women that Zaratul ever met. But the moment she fell in love, she was tamed.
Inside, she was still the fearsome Succubus of the Shereya Dynasty, an A Rank Illusionist but in front of Zaratul, she became this sweet, affectionate, and loving Succubus with a gentle and shy core beneath her dangerous exterior.
The moment Julian understood his current circumstances and accepted his new identity as Zaratul, he inherited everything that came with it, including his harem.
Just from his first meeting with them, he already fell in love with his subordinates. He could tell that all the females were secretly in love with him.
This was the main reason why he was currently going to the library.
Afterall, as it was, he was literally the no. 1 enemy of the whole world and if he wanted himself and his subordinates to survive, he needed to be prepared.
Right now, he was still just a Level 0 Unranked bloke but Julian believed that knowledge is power.
If he wanted to protect what he loved- his inheritance, Dreadmoor, his subordinates and his harem, he needed to have knowledge of a lot of things and Dreadmoor's library had exactly what he needed.
Afterall, despite his power at his peak, a Level 100 Mage like Zaratul still suffered an ambush that resulted in his death.
If anything, this experience of his predecessor taught Julian to respect the other powerhouses of this world.
Yes, he wanted to conquer this world but he wasn't about to make the same mistakes that Zaratul made that resulted in his death.
While he was still weak and growing, even though overall he was still overpowered with the existence of all his subordinates and Dreadmoor, Julian firmly believed in the philosophy that there's always a greater power out there.
Through the knowledge in the library, he wanted to understand the powers of this world, including the power system and how to grow strong fast.
He didn't want to step on fire that would burn him like Zaratul did, most importantly now that he was still weak.
Julian clenched his fists tightly. 'I'm going to do everything it takes to protect my subordinates and conquer this world!'
'Even if it means becoming the greatest villain in history!'
…
Following the vague recollections from his memories, Julian walked towards the library and finally, he arrived.
Despite the expectations that he came with from the vague recollections of his memory, Julian's expectations were still blown away.
Dreadmoor's library was a library fitting a powerful Mage and a Demon Lord's Castle.
It was massive, an impossible cathedral of books spiraling upward into shadow and light that felt less like a hall and more like a living monument to forbidden knowledge.
Towering shelves curved inward, stacked floor upon floor in a dizzying helix.
Endless balconies and winding staircases coiled through the air, defying gravity with elegant arrogance.
Above, a distant oculus spilled pale, otherworldly golden light down the central shaft, illuminating everywhere around the massive library.
The books were innumerable.
The hardcovers varied wildly- from cracked leather bound in iron sigils to velvet volumes stitched with silver thread, and even tomes that were chained shut with runes pulsing faintly on their surface.
Some shelves hummed softly, others whispered when approached, and a few seemed to rearrange themselves when no one is looking.
In the presence of their master though, they all showed subservience.
Spiral staircases twist through the massive library like serpents, each turn offering new alcoves of knowledge.
This was not a place of comfort or quiet sturdy.
Instead, this was a hoard- a place of knowledge gathered through conquest, temptation and ruin.
This was another reflection of Zaratul's sovereignty- a library befitting a Demon Lord.
Julian took his time to observe around and when he finally became ready to go through the books, a magical consciousness appeared before him as a floating golden Giant baby.
He looked cute.
The baby sucked his thumb as he looked at Julian curiously. "Master, what do you want to read today?"
Julian looked at the magical consciousness and recalled. 'He's the librarian, a magical consciousness that I created, Rune'.
Rune could change forms at will between either a baby Giant, a teenage Giant, or a mature adult Giant.
Julian looked at the consciousness and offered a faint smile. "Today, I want to study and refresh my memory about the powers of the world again".
Rune nodded seriously. "Master, the most recent book that best fits your description is Geo-Encyclopedia by the Druid Society".
"Ok," Julian nodded. "I'll read that".
…
Over two hours of reading later, Julian yawned as he sipped from a black glass cup of magical coffee that could rejuvenate his energy.
After two hours of reading, he finally got what he wanted.
In Gomorra, there are 3 Empires, 8 Kingdoms, and 4 main organizations including Zaratul. He also learned about the world's major landmarks like Dragon's Tooth and Midnight Forest.
Through the book 'Geo-Encyclopedia' by the Druid Society which was one of the 4 most powerful organizations of Gomorra, Julian learned that Zaratul got so powerful that this world essentially viewed him as an organization.
'Damn!' Julian was impressed. 'But you still died'.
The 3 Empires are the Infernal Empire of the West, the Demon Empire where Zaratul was born, the Valor Dynasty in the North, and the Shereya Dynasty in the East where Pandora was a Princess.
The trio were recognized as the strongest powers in the world.
While the Infernal Empire is a Demon Empire, the Valor Dynasty is an Empire of Barbarians and Giants led by the Valor Emperor who is a Level 100 S Rank Martial Sovereign of the Warrior Class, while the Shereya Dynasty is a Matriarchal Empire of Succubus.
Of the 8 Kingdoms, the ones that caught Julian's attention most was the Bruno Kingdom, a Demon Kingdom of Necromancers led by Prince Bruno's father, King Bruno the Fifth, a Level 100 S Rank Death Sovereign of the Necromancer Class.
Apparently, he was one of only two S Rank Death Sovereigns in the world.
Of the 4 organizations, there's the Church of Divinity, the no. 1 neutral organization in the world with cathedrals in almost all the major Kingdoms and Empires of the world.
They're an organization of peace-loving people of all races led by the Pope, a Level 100 S Rank Divine Sovereign of the Cleric Class.
There's also the Demoness Sect, one of the only pure evil sects in the world, a sect that's an archenemy of Zaratul.
After one of their High Priestess died during the Great Battle of 1895, their current leader is the Sovereign of Misfortune, a Level 100 S Rank Fate Sovereign.
There's also the Druid Society, the no. 2 neutral organization in the world. They're the protectors and rulers of the Midnight Forest in the South, the biggest forest in the world.
As for Dragon's Tooth, it's the tallest mountain in the world.
It has 100 levels, each level with increasing level of danger and inhabitants when climbing it.
The rare and elusive Dragon Race is rumored to live at the peak of this mountain at the 100th level.
Julian clicked his tongue as he thought. 'What a massive world'.
He was tired after reading.
With another yawn, he stood up and left the massive library as Rune bid him farewell.
The only thing Julian wanted to do at this moment was lie down and sleep. When he woke up, he'll decide on what to do next.
But the moment he entered his bedroom, he realized that something was amiss.
He was not alone!