"Huh? Oz, you?"
"When you're in a foreign land, you really just make things up, don't you?"
Rhine was quite helpless, and said seriously, "Yes. What your King Oz said, that is me."
The Soldiers were all stunned.
Rhine smiled, anticipating the moment his identity would be revealed before this group of Soldiers: "When your King Oz described that Magician from Rose Kingdom, he must have mentioned what he looked like, right?"
The Soldiers looked at each other.
"Yes, Great Oz did mention what his teacher looked like."
Rhine was relieved now and nodded with a smile.
"Just as Great Oz shows different appearances to different people, his teacher, the legendary Great Magician Rhine, also has several forms," a Soldier said.
"Sometimes Rhine is a hundred-meter-tall fire giant. Just standing there, he won't bring scorching heat to the entire city," the second Soldier said.
"Sometimes Rhine is a giant beast with 300 eyes and 60 heads, whose stomp will make the entire city tremble," the third Soldier said.
"Sometimes Rhine is a lovely little girl, looking only four or five years old, with eyes sparkling like jewels, wearing a delicate and beautiful pleated skirt. But her features are like a toy, and she never blinks, like a moving doll," the fourth Soldier said.
"Sometimes Rhine is a giant head with a dozen pairs of wings on it, a slight flap of which will stir up a strong wind," the fifth Soldier said.
Finally, they all looked at the quiet boy in front of them: "Anyway, as Great Oz's teacher, Rhine would never look like you! You look too ordinary, with two eyes, one nose, one mouth, and two ears, just like us. You look like an ordinary boy with nothing special about him."
"Huh?"
"No way?"
Rhine's mouth twitched again.
This trick of pretending to be in different forms to create a sense of mystery, it really is Oz's style!
But, Oz, it's fine if you boast about yourself, but why drag me into it too?
Rhine was at a loss for words.
"I think your king's description… uh, is just a little bit… exaggerated."
Afterward, no matter how Rhine explained, the Soldiers did not believe that the boy in front of them was the Magician from Rose Kingdom.
They only thought that this guy who violated the rules was particularly stubborn and always unwilling to reveal his true name and origin.
"Never mind, it doesn't matter if you don't fill in your name and origin."
"Stay here obediently, and we'll get you a new pair of green glasses."
The Soldiers locked Rhine in the room, assigned two people to guard the door, and the rest left.
The small room was dark and cold, but Rhine didn't care at all, because he already had a way to escape.
He walked to the window with a smile, tapping his fingertips lightly on the windowsill twice.
Before long, a small white dove flew over, singing a cheerful and melodious song.
Rhine stroked the bird's feathers, tied the freshly written letter to the bird's leg, and the bird turned and flew away with the letter.
The direction the bird flew was precisely the royal palace of Emerald City, the palace where Great Oz resided.
…
Deep in the palace, Oz lay trembling on a beautiful bed.
It had been over 10 years since he left his homeland, and he would occasionally recall his distant home in the West.
Over the past 10 years, he had lived quite well, not only being mistaken for a powerful Magician but also becoming a king and having his own royal city.
But in one long night after another, in a deep sleep, he would still recall many scenes from his homeland.
Among them, the most lingering scene was what he saw in the palace garden on the day he performed at the palace—
At that time, a bird flew in the air, making a graceful arc, spinning down, and transforming into the appearance of a young man.
That beautiful and graceful figure was the Sage of Rose Kingdom, Great Magician Rhine.
Oz clearly remembered that day, the nobles and royalty widened their eyes and offered thunderous applause.
Because Oz himself was among the shocked and applauding crowd.
His superb magic tricks paled in comparison to this true magic, like candlelight meeting the sun.
What was most unforgettable in Oz's memory was the infinite emotion in his heart when he saw this scene.
"This is true magic!"
"It's so amazing, so amazing, it has surpassed the realm of nature, beyond the limits of human understanding."
"In contrast, my magic is just a trick to please people and make the audience laugh, a useless little gimmick."
"What a pity, why can't I become a true Magician, master amazing magic and be respected?"
Oz also often fantasized that one day, like the protagonists in those storybooks, he would suddenly learn magic, punish those who had bullied him, and become the focus of everyone's attention.
Whenever the dream continued to this point, Oz would suddenly wake up.
Only then did he remember that half of his childhood wish had come true.
He was indeed regarded as a great Magician by the people of this kingdom and became a respected king.
Everyone praised his name, and the four witches of the East, West, North, and South all believed that his magic was unparalleled in the world, and his dignity was unchallengeable.
The only pity was that he still couldn't use magic; he was just a complete fraud.
As soon as he thought of this, Oz remembered what he had been worrying about recently!
"Alas, originally I could have stayed here as a king, a great Magician in the eyes of the world, and no one would expose my lies."
"Unfortunately, a few months ago, that Magician named Maglido seemed to have discovered my secret."
"If the people of Oz Country know that I can't use magic at all, then I'm finished. I've deceived the world for so many years, and once the public knows they've been tricked by me, they will surely overthrow me in anger."
"The most terrifying are the two evil witches of the East and West! They have been intimidated by my name for so long; I can't imagine how they will retaliate once they discover I'm just an ordinary person?"
The more Oz thought about it, the more afraid he became.
Over the past few months, to prevent his identity from being exposed, he could only prohibit anyone claiming to be a Magician from entering this city.
Only those who truly understand magic are most likely to see through his magic tricks!
Just then, Oz suddenly heard a crisp ding-dong sound from the window.
He walked to the window, pulled back the curtain, and saw a cute little pigeon gently pecking at the window with its beak, and a paper letter was tied to the pigeon's leg.