Chapter 30: Layers of the World

Zane walked leisurely toward the library.

Sure, he could teleport or glide using the Law of Wind—but sometimes, walking felt… grounding. Real. A slice of the mediocrity he’d once called boring, now oddly peaceful.

“This life of mediocrity,” he murmured, hands tucked in his coat pockets, “not so bad, huh?”

Then, with a small smirk tugging at his lips, he added, “Oh well. Computer, I was talking about that idea we discussed earlier.”

Beep.

“I’m thinking of creating a battle power system. I’ll infuse you with some mana tuned to this world’s frequency. You can use that to program a battle power transmitter. Let it run as a secondary system. Then make a lens with unstable particles—something small I can wear in my eye. Attach a battle power measurer to that lens, so I can see values in real-time.”

He paused, then added, “Transmit the blueprint to the secondary system back on the island. Let them handle making the lens for now. Until it’s done, I’ll use the techno-watch screen to monitor battle power manually.”

He paused. “For now, I’ll give you what you need.”

Without taking his hands out of his coat pockets, he summoned a set of materials: a bluish-white mana crystal, a shard of yellow energy stone, and a chunk of smooth, dense grey metal.

He fiddled briefly with his watch, then pulled out the items one by one. As he did, a miniature portal screen flickered to life over the watch.

Zane dropped each component into the portal.

Beep. Command acknowledged. Estimated time for indicator readiness: 25 minutes.

“Perfect,” he said softly, just as he reached the public library.

The building stood grand and sturdy, its walls covered in ivy and its old wooden doors giving a noble, welcoming creak as he pushed them open.

Inside, a neat reception desk sat just left of the entrance. A young woman stood behind it—short auburn hair, deep blue eyes, a calm air of elegance about her.

She looked up and smiled. “Welcome. How can I help you?”

Zane stepped forward, retrieving a traveler’s pass from his coat. “Miss, I’m a traveler from very far away. I’d like to read about the history and knowledge of this kingdom and the neighboring ones, if possible.”

“Of course, sir,” she replied with a warm smile. “For basics, please head to Section 3 on the ground floor. It contains history and geography of our kingdom and surrounding territories. For deeper archives, Section 3 on the first floor will be helpful. There’s a small access fee—ten copper coins.”

He nodded. “Then please grant me access to the first floor as well. I’ll check that after the ground floor.”

He handed her a coin—one he had created himself. A silver coin, perfectly crafted to the standards of this world’s currency. Almost too perfect.

The librarian took one glance and blinked. “Oh my…”

Zane’s brow twitched. Was I wrong?

She looked up again. “Sir, this is a big denomination. I’ll have to go to the vault for your change. Please wait a moment.”

Inwardly, Zane chuckled. I’m never wrong.

Outwardly, he simply smiled. “It’s fine, Miss. I’ll collect the change once I finish.”

“Alright then. Happy reading, sir,” she said cheerfully.

Zane gave a polite nod and turned. “It’s nice talking to polite people… unlike someone I know.” He thought briefly of Lia and sighed. “Well, whatever. Let’s read.”

And with that, he headed toward the archives—ready to explore the history of a world that had only just begun to open its secrets to him.

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“Interesting,” Zane muttered, closing the last book from the ground floor section with a soft thump. He stood up, stretching slightly.

“Okay, that’s enough for the ground floor,” he said aloud, then glanced off to the side with a subtle smirk. “Oh right… I forgot. I need to do one of those inner monologue things for the readers,Can’t let people get confused, huh?”

He turned his gaze to the side and started:

“This world… or rather, this planet, is called Orimund. Ugh, what an ugly name for a planet. Sounds like a blacksmith sneezed while naming it.”

He chuckled under his breath but went on.

“Still, it’s not lacking in complexity. The kingdom I’m currently in is Valdoria, the strongest of the six major kingdoms. Why? Because unlike the others, Valdoria doesn’t enforce any race-based discrimination. All species—humans, elves, beastfolk, dwarves, even demons—can live together here, as long as they follow the rules. That inclusiveness is what makes Valdoria thrive.”

He started walking slowly toward the stairs to the first floor as he thought.

“The other five major kingdoms are… interesting, to say the least.”

Solvanyr – The Kingdom of Humans. Traditional, prideful, and often self-important. Not much different from Earth’s old empires.

Sylwenora – The Elven Kingdom. Graceful, magical, and so full of themselves you’d think they were born with their noses in the clouds.

Aetherveil – The Spirit Kingdom. Home to entities that exist between the physical and magical planes. Beautiful place, hard to understand their logic.

Tharnok – An alliance kingdom where beastmen and dwarves coexist. Rugged, strong, and industrial—but surprisingly balanced.

Malgrith – The Demon Kingdom. Isolated, feared, and shrouded in ancient power. But they’re not inherently evil… just not trusted.

“And of course, there are several smaller kingdoms too. Some may not be strong in power, but they hold strategic or magical importance.”

He ticked them off mentally.

Glimmereach – A minor floating kingdom that hovers near Aetherveil. It’s literally floating. No idea how they manage that. Might be worth a visit.

Varnokh – Tribal territory of orcs and northern nomads. Harsh climate, harder people. Brutality defines survival there.

Zephoria – A sea-based kingdom populated by sirens, merfolk, and other water-based species. Politically neutral but dangerous in their own waters.

“…The planet itself orbits a binary star system—two red dwarfs. The larger sun is Aruvion, and the smaller one is Veskar. With both in the sky, the light is always tinted with a soft reddish hue. A little eerie… but it gives everything a surreal beauty.”

He glanced upward through the skylight.

“This planet, Orimund, is about 1.3 times larger than Earth. The gravity’s only slightly heavier—barely noticeable thanks to how mana flows through everything. It’s probably what lets the wildlife and people grow stronger here, even without intense training.”

He smirked.

“And its moon? Oranya—glows like a silver jewel in the night. One full cycle takes 35 days. Nights here last longer, and the full moon seems to amplify mana in the air. Rituals, cultivation, spellcasting… everything feels sharper under Oranya’s gaze.”

He finally reached the first floor, hands tucked in his pockets.

“This world uses mana as its main energy—everything revolves around it. From magic to machines, even currencies and artifacts are linked to it. Civilization grew not just from raw intelligence, but from how well each race adapted to manipulating mana except some races .”

He gave a small smile.

“Yep… not a bad place to stir things up.”

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Meanwhile, a short distance from the public library…

Inside one of Eldrin’s finer inns, a warm fire crackled in a hearth built into the stone wall. The room, elegantly furnished, exuded both comfort and status—velvet curtains drawn, plush chairs set around a low mahogany table, and two travelers occupying the space.

Ron paced across the room, brow furrowed, boots tapping restlessly against the polished wooden floor.

“How does he know…?” he muttered under his breath, jaw clenched.

Lia, lounging casually by the window, tilted her head. “Ron, what’s going on? Why are you so agitated?” she asked, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ron paused mid-step, eyes sharp with unease. “It’s that guy we met. Zane.”

She blinked. “Zane?” Her expression tightened slightly. “That suspicious guy… I still don’t buy that he took down the Wolf. He seemed weak. I couldn’t sense anything from him.”

Ron didn’t answer at first. He simply stared at her, the weight of his thoughts pressing down.

Lia straightened, sensing the tension thickening. “What about him? Did he say something to you?”

He nodded slowly. “He knows.”

There was silence.

Lia’s eyes widened. “You mean…?” she asked in a hushed, surprised voice.

“Yes.” Ron’s voice was low, serious. “He knows about our illusion disguise.”

The room fell still, the crackle of fire the only sound between them.

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