"That's strange, is someone sending a message via carrier pigeon?"
Oz thought as he pulled open the window.
He took the letter from the little white pigeon's leg, then kindly offered some breadcrumbs to the pigeon, watching as the cute little bird cooed and flew away.
"Who would send me a letter? And in such a magical way?"
Oz curiously tore open the envelope and began to read the letter.
As he read, Oz's eyelids suddenly twitched.
Then, he jumped up entirely.
"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!"
"The Sage of Rose Kingdom, Lord Rhine himself, has actually come to Oz Country!"
He felt as if he were dreaming.
Many years ago, soon after he arrived in this Green Field, he felt that he might never leave. He was completely cut off from his past life and the past world.
No one would ever know that the Great Oz, the Great Magician, was merely a magician and balloonist from a circus in some country, pleasing audiences on stage with flashy performances.
The kingdoms on that continent, the matters outside the Green Field, the joys and sorrows of yesteryear, were forever buried, existing only in his memories and nightly dreams.
However, not long ago, that outsider named Maglido shattered Oz's illusion. And today, Lord Rhine's arrival completely awakened Oz.
"Oz is also connected to the world."
This sentence flashed through Oz's mind, reminding him that the outside world would one day find him.
He hadn't even finished reading the letter when he became flustered:
"This is bad, Lord Rhine has come."
"He is a true, powerful Great Magician!"
"I even boasted before that I was his disciple! I just made that up to deceive the people here."
"What should I do now? If Lord Rhine finds out I impersonated his disciple, he'll surely be furious!"
Oz was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the room, from the door to the corner, and back to the door from the corner.
Oz picked up the unfinished letter again, gritted his teeth, and continued reading.
He looked at the neat and elegant handwriting, and the more he read, the darker his expression became, and his whole body began to tremble.
"No way? My Soldiers caught him."
"Oh my goodness? Those fools, they did such a thing to Lord Rhine?"
...
Lord Rhine stayed in the cold, damp little room, squatting in the corner, quietly waiting for good news.
Soon, the door opened.
"Offender, here are your glasses. Remember not to take them off when you wander around Emerald City later." The Soldier Captain walked in and handed Lord Rhine the green-lensed glasses.
Lord Rhine obediently put on the glasses.
"Of course, you can't go out yet. As we said before, Magicians are not allowed to stay in Emerald City unless they have Oz's permission." The Captain added.
"So, you still need to ask the Great Oz for permission, is that right?" Lord Rhine asked.
"Of course, you can state your reason for visiting Oz now." The Captain said, "We will send someone to ask the Great Oz. If the reason is appropriate, the Great Oz will allow you to visit his beautiful city."
Just as Lord Rhine was about to say something, the Captain reminded him:
"But don't have any expectations about this."
"The Great Oz is a good person, a just King and Great Magician, but he also hates boring people."
"If your reason for visiting is boring, he might suddenly get angry and kill you directly!"
When mentioning Oz's terrifying power, the Captain's expression noticeably twisted, and his voice also lowered significantly.
Clearly, while he revered Oz, he also feared the Great Magician's power.
Lord Rhine nodded, his expression solemn, and said:
"A rather dangerous evil Witch—a Witch even more powerful and evil than the Eastern Witch and Western Witch—is currently in Oz Country."
"People call her Black Witch Maleficent. She belongs to the same Witch coven as the Eastern Witch."
"I need to visit the Great Oz himself and ask him to help find Maleficent!"
The Soldier Captain nodded.
When Lord Rhine said there was a Witch more powerful and evil than the Eastern Witch and Western Witch, he showed a disbelieving expression, but still wrote down what Lord Rhine said.
"If it's true, and Oz Country has another evil Witch, that would truly be a bad thing. But in any case, with the Great Oz here, no matter how powerful an evil Witch is, she wouldn't dare do anything to Emerald City."
Thinking of this, the Captain asked with obvious disbelief:
"Can you guarantee that what you're saying is true?"
"Of course, absolutely true, Your Excellency." Lord Rhine said.
"I will report what you said to the Great Oz. But I must warn you, there is nothing more foolish in the world than lying to the Great Oz. The Great Oz can discern any lie, no one can lie in front of him, and he hates dishonest people the most. Once you tell him a lie, he will surely be enraged and kill you instantly!" The Captain repeatedly warned.
It seemed he was genuinely worried that Lord Rhine was speaking nonsense, considering the other party's safety.
"I understand." Lord Rhine said.
The Captain sighed:
"Alright, tell me your name and origin. Since we are going to report your words to the Great Oz, this information is necessary. We can't just say that an 'unnamed person' has an urgent matter to visit, can we?"
"I told you, I am Lord Rhine, the Magician of Rose Kingdom." Lord Rhine said.
"Ah?" The Captain's face instantly turned green, like an unripe apple.
Just then, Lord Rhine's eyes lit up.
He saw another team of Soldiers running from a distance behind the open door.
"Lord Rhine, the Great Oz invites you to his palace!"