Funny as for me the coolest thing about this story is that the MC is not center of the universe and everything revolve around him. So things popping in and out of the story feels right given that he is just passing through the world.
Interesting. This reminds me of a video game called '80 Days', where you also see mere glimpses of worldbuilding in the places you visit and don't interact with them much because you have to keep moving.