You think about it and smile. "I've got little to nothing to loose so why not. But... as long as she is my assistant." You point to Phix.
"Me? Why me?"
"Well, who better to help than a sphinx. And well, I think I may have ways to help more so. I want to do more research on this place before hand."
"Phix will make you an excellent assistant." The faun says. "I shall leave you to it then. I'm going to take a little walk." At that he was gone.
You let out a sigh of relief as you look at Phix. "Um..."
"Nah, I get it. He's tough to deal with." She looks at you then rubs her chin. "What?"
"I.... I thought sphinx's were supposed to have... wings."
"Oh, well, there are some that do, some that done. I do not." She says. "I suppose I should ask you your name."
"Jade."
"Ooo...." She tilts her head. "Name rings a bell... did you ever come here with your grandpa?"
"Yeah a few times. But never to the castle. Anyway.... Phix..."
"Jade, relax, the best way to do your research is to get to know the residents. Let me see...." She turns and gets a map out and puts it on the table. "First off, I'm going to make a suggestion. Get some human assistants. Have them stay here in the castle with you, but... be sure it's people you and you alone can trust to the fullest extent. Second, memorize the map, and the sections, be it normal or not so." She says. "Each section is based on what you know as real animals, mythical animals, horror animals, and extinct animals. Each of those sections are also split into subsections such as where they'll most likely be found. Such as here, you have your normal every day run of the mill animals. This section are for the animals from Austrailia, such as the kangaroo, koala, and dingo. Over here you have the extinct sections, this is more split into era's than origins. Such as, the ice age creatures like the Sabre-tooth, and woolly mammoth. Here, you have the horror, such as werecreatures, vampires, missing links (You know, those things that are like fish creatures), and my favorite, one that is also separated by region, the mythic and legends. You have many sections that house dragons, two that house sphinxs, such as myself, and so on and so forth. I have made amulets that when you get your helpers that when placed on them, if they were to spill the beans about us, their minds would do a 180 and they will forget what they were talking about."
You sit there and ponder. "Well, Phix, I do have to ask, how am I supposed to keep the public from seeing majority of the zoo? I mean from the sounds of it, they're not supposed to know."
"You will figure a way."
You think and ponder then smile. "Actually there is." You say. "Hide you right in plane site."
"What? That's crazy."
"Not at all. Ever heard of anamatronics?"
"You mean like robotic animals and what not?"
"Yep."
She thinks on this as you get up. "Let me put it this way. If they are to think you're a robot, they wouldn't think anything of it, therefore, hiding you right under their noses."
"I love it." She purred as she pounces. "So, Jade, what shall we do? I can give you a personal tour of our home."
"I'd love that."
"Goody, may I recommend, it's how your grandfather got the employees to start, you begin with the Extinct, move to mythical, horror, and then normal? That way you're not caught off guard, however the order is up to you."