The year is 1878. A 22-year-old Nikola Tesla drops out of Imperial-Royal Technical College in Graz despite being described as a star of the first rank.
This lord Munodi was a person of the first rank, and had been some years governor of Lagado; but, by a cabal of ministers, was discharged for insufficiency.
On the entire journey, Reynolds' family housekeeper had been teaching him magic, which is why he had become a magus of the first rank even before the journey ended.