Like I mentioned before, there are numerous races that live here.
Most of them possess the common traits of humans, like two arms, two legs and two eyes, and some extra animalistic traits like tails, fur, horns and the like.
While some have more animal traits, then their human traits, like the lamia, which has a snake's body for its legs, and only has the upper torso of a human.
Other than the fact that they all look a bit different, they still act and behave the same way humans do, and don't possess any animalistic behaviour like aggressiveness and blood thirst.
Even their diets are similar to humans, as minotaurs who you would think would be herbivores due to their race being derived from a cow or bull, eat meat. And there are even some shark girls, with sharp teeth that are meant for tearing apart meat, who are pure vegetarians because they choose to be so.
It's a free country, so you can eat whatever you want, be whatever you want, love whoever you want, and fuck whatever race you want.
...Wait. That's not true.
I was going to say that all races could mingle with one another, romantically and sexually. But sadly, I found out that's not true.
Apparently, in this world, a member of a certain race can only have a member of the same race as their beloved partner or companion, which simply means that there are very few mixed couples walking around.
When I first read about it, when the topic was mentioned in the story, I thought it was because of some tradition to keep the blood in the same race, and some typical racism against other races.
But it was later explained that it isn't so, and it is because their brains are rigged in a way, that makes them unable to feel any romantic or sexual emotions towards the members of different races.
Just like how normal animals don't go around mating with different species, the demi-humans here also don't see other races as potential mates and prefer partners that belong to the same race as them.
I read that the reason they feel this way has something to do with their instincts, which makes only members of their own race, attractive and loveable. But the scientists of this world are still trying to figure out the exact reason as to why it's like this.
But just because demi-humans can't see other species as romantic interests, it doesn't mean that all the different races are alienated from each other.
In fact, everyone mingles and interacts with one another as if there were no difference between them, just like normal humans. And they even know to appreciate the beauty of another race of demihumans, and can verbally describe why they find them attractive.
But even if they can understand the beauty of another race, they just can't be attracted to them as a member of the opposite sex and can at most be an avid admirer.
Like how you would admire a beautiful painting, but have no intention of sticking your dick in it just because it looks pretty. It's similar to that.
But even though I say that there are no races that are attracted to one another, there is actually one single exception, which is also the same race I belong to.
The human race.
Ordinary humans, unlike other demihumans, can be attracted to other races. And at the same time, they can attract the affection and feelings of other demihumans.
They don't have any psychological barriers, blocking them from viewing demihumans as potential future partners, and vice versa.
They also don't have any physical reproductive barriers, meaning that little hybrid babies can be born between a human and a demi-human.
The book said that the scientists of this world think it has something to do with, humans being the progenitor of all races, thousands of years ago. But just like the previous theory about demihumans, scientists don't have an exact answer to this phenomenon and are still debating it to this day.
But even though the human race can show affection and love, and freely reproduce with the demihumans, most couples in this world are in common-race relationships.
It's mostly because humans comprise 60% of the entire population, and some other factors, like how their lifestyles, behaviour and physical bodies, aren't compatible with one another.
And also primarily because a person, no matter what race they belong to, are more attracted to people who have the same physical features as them, like how a harpy would be attracted to another harpy's wings. Or, how humans would prefer someone with no animalistic or alien features on them.
I wouldn't say that different-race couples are rare, as it's mentioned that there are a few of them out there, who love one another so much they don't care about what race they belong to, and want to be with one another. But it's just that, they aren't seen as much as common-race couples.
As for how demi-humans came to be and the history of this world, it's very vaguely given in the book.
Apparently, thousands of years ago, humans were the first intelligent creatures to come about, that could think and have ideas. They could considered to be the neanderthals of this world, who started the civilization of the planet by discovering fire and making stone weapons.
Much later on, those humans slowly started to evolve strange characteristics, that the humans of the past didn't possess, like wings and scales.
And they started to make their own groups based on similar characteristics, which is how different species of demi-humans were created.
The reason they started to evolve and mutate is also unclear, and is one of the most studied topics in this world, which baffles even the smartest scientists till they start balding.
As demi-humans started to group with members of their own race in large numbers, they started to make their own clans and kingdoms, and have their own territories, similar to how countries were made on Earth.
And just like back on Earth, they had their own wars for resources, territory, and power, between different species.
Some clans created alliances, with races that had similar goals and interests. And some countries and clans had lifetime grudges with one another, and constantly had wars between them to find out who was superior.
But as time went on, the new leaders of the different clans slowly started to realise that the world could be a much better place if they decided to handle everything in a much more civilized and peaceful manner, where instead of indulging in wars to obtain resources, they started to trade with one another and help each other out in times of need.
Slowly but surely, by putting behind past grudges and creating new ties, the world started to integrate with one another. And finally, after centuries of effort to bring about improvements to society, a Utopia was created where all species, no matter what race or status, lived while being guided by societal norms, and regulated by strict rules that favored not one, but everyone.
And all of this knowledge I have about this world and the people living in it, came from this mysterious white book. Or, to be exact, this novel I have in my hands.