Rizal conducted extensive research at the British Museum in London and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, enriching his knowledge of history. He read historical documents in their original languages including Italian and Spanish. In Paris, he planned to establish a modern college in Hong Kong and an association of Filipinologists, though both efforts failed. He also wrote articles criticizing Spanish colonization in the Philippines and the concept of Filipino indolence. While in Brussels, he focused on writing his second novel El Filibusterismo and continued contributing articles under a pen name.