Milliways is a fond memory. Valanda is much better educated now and has just secured the imperial government's agreement to recognize him as governor of a new state on the closest continent. He has three force mages to help with travel, he has a code of laws that copies blatantly from other states and should be safe precisely because it copies so blatantly, he has a death mage to hire.

He has a death mage to interview first.

He has a door to walk through to visit the death mage's apartment.

And now he's in Milliways.