"It's deeper than that," Mingyu murmurs, distracted briefly by his own tumultuous thoughts on the matter. It would be far more reassuring for him to believe it all maps over cleanly with what he knows. That all of this is just the magic he is familiar with in another form, utilized differently. It would give him more solid footing, more confidence in his ability to use what he finds here to his own ends.

That's precisely why he doubts it would be so convenient, why he leans into his discomfort and uncertainty. Comfort and optimism breeds tragedy. Mingyu will not make that mistake again.

"It's not about how advanced the civilization is or not, there's just—" Mingyu makes a vague gesture in the air one-handed, expression edging on frustration. "It's just different. On a basic, fundamental level, nothing here works as it should, as I expect it to."

But nothing to be done about that except gather more information. Mingyu sighs, shaking his head.

"...it's incredibly messy. Time travel. Dangerous when you get it right, catastrophic when you don't. Heavily regulated, largely illegal." He looks over at Archeval again. "You get any time travelers yourself?"