We cannot be living in a simulation because the amount of energy to simulate and calculate all the possible atoms, quarks, and other particles and all their simultaneous interactions every fraction of a millisecond would far exceed an exponent of zillions upon zillions of all the possible energy that could ever exist. We wouldn’t even begin to be able to comprehend anything.

“Well… the forerunners’ physics operate differently, duh!”

Uh… if you were to believe that delusion, then I wouldn’t know what to tell you; then you could just rig whatever answer you want to anything. And even if that were true, then the “real” world must be so vastly different from anything we could possibly connect with or perceive that it wouldn’t be relatable anyway and would therefore be worthless or just academic to think about. I guess you don’t want to hear it but this is unfortunately our actual life and that guy was just weird. Ask him if you can buy any potions from him next time or something.