Scott did not agree to this.

He did not agree to be dumped into a city full of people. He definitely did not agree to let those people stare at him, whispering to each other, wondering who he was and why he had just appeared out of thin air in their town square.

"Hi," Scott said nervously.

"Hello, stranger!" a voice answered, finally. The source seemed to be a male at first glance, but could have been female as well, as Scott thinked about it. He'd have to ask for pronouns later.

The stranger approached him. He or she or they or... whatever was relatively short. Their hair was about chin length, deep blue, and straight as a line (unlike Scott). Their clothes seemed too fancy for walking the streets of a town, neat and formal with huge, ruffled bell sleeves. On the right side of their chest was pinned a brooch embedded with a stone the color of the sky. They had a calm air to them, and held themselves in a very poised way, as if they were in a play. "I am Xingqiu of the Guhua Clan. What's your name, traveler?"

Scott, bewildered, let Xingqiu help him up. "Scott," he answered. "Of Chromia."

Scott's golden eye acted up. He saw a magical aura around Xingqiu, similar to the ones he saw around Hearts of the Sea. Blue light, flowing and rippling like water.

He often forgot that his magic eye was there until it told him that someone or something had magic in them.

The people gathered slowly started to lose interest and disperse. Xingqiu, however, stayed, their eyes shining with interest. "Chromia? I don't believe I've heard of that. Where is Chromia?"

Reality hit Scott like a wall. He was not in Empires anymore, nor did he seem to be in Hermitcraft. "It... doesn't matter. Sorry, what are your pronouns?"

"He/him," Xingqiu replied. "And you?"

Scott made the mental switch from using they/them to he/him pronouns for the newcomer. "The same," he answered. "Where am I?"

Xingqiu arched an eyebrow. "How would you not know? This is Liyue Harbor, friend. The center of trade and commerce in all of Teyvat."

Teyvat. Liyue Harbor. Guhua Clan. Scott made mental notes about all of them, figuring they'd be important later, even though he didn't have the slightest idea what they meant.

He wondered where his fellow rulers were. Of course he did. But he was going to treat this world the same as he treated a Minecraft world: survival first. Once he had what he needed, once he was stable enough to search, he would.

First, food and water. From the amount of people in this city, it seemed like this was not one of the places where everyone went out and hunted. There were probably shops somewhere; in fact, he could see several around the square. However, he didn't have anything to trade.

Briefly, he thought about how the Hermits had used diamonds as a currency, something in place of a trade. He'd have to find out if this world was similar, and if so, where one could get the currency.

Scott went over all this and more in his head. Without really processing it, he accepted an invitation to share tea with Xingqiu at somewhere called the Xinyue Kiosk.

He realized what he had just done and searched his inventory. There was nothing in his pockets except for two dirt blocks, three wheat seeds, and... several stacks of dye.

He had originally been intending to trade the dye to Katherine, but Katherine wasn't here. He'd probably be able to trade the dye to someone else. He just needed to find who.

"I'm looking to sell some dye," Scott blurted to Xingqiu. "I have two stacks each of pink, purple, and white. Is there anyone in..." he scrambled to remember the name. "Leeway Harbor who would buy it?"

"Liyue," Xingqiu corrected, and Scott was relieved that the boy didn't say anything further about his pronunciation. "Also... yes. We can discuss that at the Kiosk. However, at the moment, I have some... other matters to attend to. I'll have a reservation made tonight, at 18:00. See you then, new friend?"

Scott nodded. He'd figure out when 18:00 was, and if he couldn't, he'd just find the Xinyue Kiosk and wait around like some sort of stalker for Xingqiu to turn up.

After Xingqiu walked away and Scott was left alone, he decided to explore. Maybe he could ask around for information about Teyvat, or he could just observe the citizens.

There was one main street of intricate buildings with red roofs, balconies, decks, and bridges that stretched above the walkway and over his head. The street itself was made of stone tiles, and lined with shops and vendors' stalls. On his left was a bridge to what looked like a park of some kind, and on his right was a similar bridge to another part of town. In front of him there was a wide staircase, and Scott saw more merchants and the sparkling blue of the ocean through a massive gate. Behind him seemed to be some sort of city building, judging by the bulletin board in front of it and the important-looking people entering and exiting it.

The city building was probably the best place to start looking for information, but some of the people were giving him suspicious looks. Pretending that he knew where he was going, Scott headed to his left.

What he found wasn't a park at all. It was some sort of bridge over a man-made pond full of lotus and water lilies.

Scott didn't want to seem any more suspicious than he already was, so he didn't turn back. He kept going along the bridge, hoping he looked more confident than he felt.

Thankfully, nobody seemed to spare him a second glance. If Liyue Harbor truly was the center of trade, Scott could understand that. They probably saw much weirder things daily than some guy in patchwork clothes pretending he knew what was going on.

He climbed a tall flight of stairs, passed a green-roofed building where a couple of people were arguing about herbs, and ended up in a part of town that he got the feeling he was not supposed to be in. The buildings were larger and farther apart. There were a lot of gardens, and the people there wore expensive-looking clothing.

"This is where the rich people live," Scott muttered to himself.

He was familiar with this sort of setup - the upper class lived better than the middle class, and the middle class better than the lower class. It was how most of the Empires - his own included - functioned. Scott was used to living in a mansion, for goodness' sake. But he was aware that he did not belong in that upper class area in Liyue. This was not his Empire.

He missed Chromia already.

"Are you lost, dear?"

Scott turned to his left. A small garden of flowers he was unfamiliar with was there. A small old woman, hunched over in the way many old women were, watered the plants. Her eyes were full of wisdom and something else that Scott couldn't place. Next to the garden was a table with a porcelain tea set resting on it.

They really seemed to like tea here.

"No," Scott lied.

The woman chuckled. "Well, if you insist." She went back to watering her flowers. Her voice matched its owner - thin and brittle, as if it would shatter into a million pieces if strained, but kind as well.

Scott hesitated. "Am I really that out of place?"

"In Liyue Harbor? There's no such thing. I just figured that someone from another world would feel lost here."

The words felt like a punch in the gut. "How did you..."

The woman's eyes sparkled with amusement. "What's your name, dear?"

"Scott," Scott answered. He bit his tongue to hold back the Of Chromia that threatened to jump out as well. That title had no meaning here.

His Empire, his entire life, had no meaning here.

Liyue was just one punch in the gut after another, wasn't it?

If the woman noticed, she didn't seem to care. "Well, Scott. I am known as Madame Ping. Your name sounds like it comes from Mondstadt, but you do not hail from Teyvat at all, do you?"

"Uh... no. I'm not. It's nice to meet you. What are these flowers?" Scott was quick to change the subject. He wasn't sure he trusted Madame Ping.

"They're known as Glaze Lilies. They used to grow all over Dihua Marsh, but now they are nearly extinct. Now, the only ones left are in Qingce Village and here, on Yujing Terrace." Madame Ping turned back to her flowers and gently touched a petal, her eyes full of longing, as if remembering a better time.

"I'm sorry," Scott said, because he didn't know how else to respond.

"It wasn't your fault, dear," Madame Ping said, waving off Scott's sympathy. "Tell me about your world."

"I never said I was from another world," Scott said.

"But you never said you weren't," Madame Ping countered.

Scott bit his lip. "I don't know where I am. I don't know who anyone is, even though I feel like I should. I want to find my friends and go home, but at the moment I'm mostly focused on survival. When is 18:00?"

Madame Ping laughed again. "Dear, that's in thirty minutes."

Scott held back a swear word. He had been intending to explore Liyue Harbor, but he had ended up in the rich people place, talking with an old lady who wasn't what she seemed. Instead, he still knew nothing about the city and he had thirty minutes to find the Xinyue Kiosk. "I have to go," he said. "Sorry."

"Come back soon!" Madame Ping said cheerfully. "I have all the time in the world."

Actually, she looked like she was on the verge of falling apart. But Scott figured she had answers, so he knew he'd be back. And from the look on Madame Ping's face, she knew it too.

It took Scott less time than he had anticipated to find the Kiosk. It was right in the corner of the square where he first landed, next to the top of the huge staircase. There was a woman outside who hardly spared Scott a glance as he approached. "Welcome to the Xinyue Kiosk. Do you have a reservation?"

Her tone was flat, bored. She very obviously didn't like working there.

"Uh, yes," Scott said. "Is Xingqiu here yet?"

The woman sighed dramatically and opened the door. "Follow me."

Scott followed her. The interior of the Kiosk was warm and bright. Scott couldn't see much of it due to the screen separating the entryway from the rest of the Kiosk, but he caught a glimpse of a long table covered in food.

Instead of bringing him there, however, the waitress led him up a set of stairs to a sort of deck. On the deck were several smaller tables, a stage, and a man who was telling a story with an unnecessary amount of dramatic flair.

Scott scanned the diners for the familiar blue hair of Xingqiu, but found nothing. The waitress guided him to an empty table, forcing Scott to conclude that he wasn't there yet.

So Scott waited. He listened to the storyteller, but lost interest after half a minute.

Xingqiu was ten minutes late. "Apologies," he said. "I lost track of time."

Scott nodded. "It's alright," he reassured him.

Xingqiu took his seat across the table from Scott. They exchanged uncomfortable small talk until the waitress brought their food, which apparently had been pre-ordered by Xingqiu. Apparently "tea" in Liyue meant a full three-course meal. Scott took a tentative bite, wondering how big a full meal was here.

It was delicious. It took all of Scott's willpower not to wolf it down. In Empires, he lived off of beef and golden carrots, which were good, but Minecraft food had none of the flavors that Scott decided were seasonings and spices. The tea itself was not bad either, even though Scott was more of a coffee person.

Xingqiu seemed to be satisfied. "Are you enjoying the food?"

Scott nodded with his mouth full of pork. "It's great," he said once he swallowed.

"Good. The Xinyue Kiosk is one of the best places around," Xingqiu said, primly taking a bite of his own food.

Scott didn't really know how to reply to that, so he just nodded.

"Why don't we talk about this place you mentioned, Chromia? I don't believe I've heard of it."

Scott waved it off. "It's nothing," he said, realizing once again that here, it was true.

"But it's not nothing if you introduce yourself with it," Xingqiu countered, leaning forward with interest.

Scott was quiet for a minute.

Then he decided to change the subject. "Moving on, you said you knew of some people who would buy dye?"

Xingqiu slumped back in his seat but still somehow managed to look proper and businesslike. "Yes," he said, the word sharp and well-pronounced but not hostile. "I have a few friends in the Feyun Commerce Guild who might be able to help you."

Scott laughed nervously. "And what's that?"

"They manage the vast majority of the trade and business in Liyue," Xingqiu explained. "And a lot outside of it, too." He seemed to have given up on Scott's ignorance of everything this world-related.

The concept of a commerce guild was as foreign to Scott as Liyue itself. In Empires, when someone wanted something, they went and traded for it, and that was the end of it. There were no third parties involved.

He had a lot to get used to.

"Could I arrange a meeting with these friends?" Scott asked.

Xingqiu thought about that. "Probably. And with my referral, they might even let you get a job or something."

Scott wasn't looking for a job. He was looking to trade or sell four stacks of dye. But a job worked, as long as he could back out if he got a chance to go home. He nodded. "Thank you."

Then, he said nervously, "What currency do you use here? If any at all? Where I come from, we just trade. We don't have anything in between."

Xingqiu was silent for a minute. At first, Scott thought he wasn't listening, but when he opened his mouth to ask again. Xingqiu held up a hand. "No, I heard you. I was just... momentarily startled. The official currency used all across Teyvat is called Mora." He took out a coin and placed it on the table for Scott to look at. It was gold, with a design engraved in it that resembled some sort of plant or flower with three leaves. "Although, trading and other currencies are used as well - Primogems, for example, although those are mostly sought after by adventurers."

Scott nodded, putting the information into his mental filing cabinet.

Adventurers. The word ignited an old hobby of Scott's. He used to be an adventurer, before he lost his eye.

Speaking of his eye...

The rippling aura around Xingqiu was still there. Scott made a mental note to ask the boy about it later, when they knew each other better.

Until then, he'd just have to trust Xingqiu and hope that he wasn't some... water demon or something.

Scott realized he was getting lost in thought. "Sorry," he said. "Mora. Primogems. Got it."

Xingqiu nodded, smiling. "Tomorrow," he said, "Meet me in the square where we first met. I have some people to introduce you to."