"High-tech and complex but not exactly interesting. Not having emotions doesn't encourage high art or anything."

"None of them have any emotions? Do they have wants?"

"Nah, emotions seem to be a one-off in my universe, humans only. They want to keep existing and having their boring civilizations last forever and I haven't caught them at any preferences other than that."

"How disappointing. And oddly fascinating.  Have we checked in this universe?"

"No, not yet, more or less the same reasons we haven't checked other universes."

Okay. How do I get to Earth and get caught up on everything?

"Lúthien can teleport you there, although I'm not sure of details like where you'd live or anything like that. Some places you might land also have immigration complications, although I've been talking to the President enough that I can probably get him to do me a favor."

I can build myself a place to live, or would that be objectionable to the locals?

"Most of the land in the world is owned if not constantly monitored by somebody, and while on a certain level it would be really interesting to watch you argue property rights with whoever technically owns some middle-of-nowhere-Nebraska having quietly squatted on their property for five years first, I was imagining you'd want to live somewhere interesting and that means dense and that means nowhere open to build a house -" have a picture of downtown Seattle!

I don't think I could live there! I need, um, different architecture - I can travel up there for the day.

"Yeah, Lúthien doesn't like human architecture either, wasn't sure how universal that was. Unfortunately cities have suburbs and anywhere within reasonable traveling distance is going to be owned and I'm not counterfeiting money any more - the Secret Service was really nice about that - so I can't just pull out a wad of cash and buy you a plot in the sticks somewhere and also I'm assuming you don't know how to drive."

"I will go with my sons and we will work something out, don't worry, we'll abide by local law."

"Entering the country without formal permission does not abide by local law, I still have to get you visas - this is how many people total?"

Father, Tyelcormo says, we have responsibilities here, Nelyo at least will prefer to stay...

Probably six, he says. Are there more flexible countries?

"Probably, I can ask my lawyer, but none I have a preexisting relationship with."

And unclaimed territory?

"...I think you could probably put a boat in international waters and be okay? Outright unclaimed not so much, although you could probably find 'unpoliced' in, like, Somalia or something, at the disadvantage of unpoliced humans tending to make lousy neighbors."

I'll ask Nelyo, he's probably up on the politics. Thank you.

"You're welcome. I'll ask my lawyer too, maybe all that has to happen is you need something the king'll call a passport and you can go to Argentina or something."

"That'll do for now. Argentina? Something?"

"Argentina is a country on the continent of South America. They speak Spanish. 'Or something' is a stand-in for other options of comparable accessibility to what I am imagining about the accessibility of Argentina."

I think I should want to enroll in the local technology apprenticeships and take at least a few years to catch up on all of human invention before I start improving on it.

"Apprenticeships are out of fashion on Earth. Maybe you want to attend a university, there's lots of those. They do tend to be in cities."

"I can work in cities, I just cannot live in them! I found Tirion intolerable too. Perhaps people will let me live in the forest while attending university?"

"Yeah, maybe, or you could just pick one with a really foresty campus and hope nobody minds you sleeping in a tree or something. Heck of a commute if you wind up preferring the course offerings at MIT though."