Amidst the audience's exclamations, the wind-blown balloon and the Magician Oz vanished together into the distant sky.
On a distant hill, the silver-haired boy laughed, "Esteemed Great Wizard Oz, your wish to 'safely escape the kingdom' has been fulfilled. Remember to give a good review!"
Just now, Rhine had imbued the rope with life, causing it to snap on its own.
As for the Soldiers who came to watch the circus, Lord Rhine had, of course, arranged for them in secret.
"To fulfill my clients' wishes, I go all out. How could there be such a good Magician as me in this world!"
Rhine was not worried about Oz's safety.
He knew that, according to the original plot of "The Green Field," Oz's journey would not only be free of danger but would also lead him to become an emperor! (Literal meaning)
To be safe, he even performed a divination and confirmed it was "an auspicious omen that would bring a turning point in fate."
Having fulfilled another protagonist's wish, Lord Rhine once again felt the growth of power within his soul.
As his slender palm moved, a slight distortion appeared in space.
After fulfilling Oz's wish to "escape abroad," he gained a trace of spatial power!
"It seems I can teleport to distant places as long as I wish.
"Of course, it cannot be a place I haven't been to or don't understand, and there's a certain distance limit.
"In the future, even if Black Witch Maleficent comes looking for trouble, while I can't defeat her, I can at least take Princess Aurora and run!
"Uh, there are still 15 years until the curse of 'being pricked by a spindle and dying' takes effect. Once Princess Aurora grows a bit older, I can take her outside the Rose Kingdom and travel the continent!
"By then, the Emerald City of Oz will surely have been built. I can take her to Oz to see..."
Lord Rhine smiled, looking up at the snowy layered clouds and the azure sky, and couldn't help but imagine the future.
...
The balloon drifted and drifted, drifting above the clouds.
"Oh my, the balloon is drifting farther and farther away. I don't know where it will go..."
Oz shivered in the air from the cold and fear.
Thus, the balloon drifted in the air for a day and a night.
Waking up the next day, Oz found that the balloon had flown over a beautiful and strange land.
After a few more hours, the balloon slowly descended, and he was safe and sound.
Oz found himself among a group of strange people.
Their attire was unlike any group Oz knew in the kingdom.
The men wore round hats with a small pointed peak in the middle and small bells hanging on all four sides, jingling as they walked. The women wore white robes draped over their shoulders, sparkling with tiny stars that looked like diamonds in the sunlight.
"Wow, did he come down from the clouds?"
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes just now. At first, he was so high above the ground, just a tiny dot, and then he slowly descended..."
"Sir, you can actually fly, you must be a Great Magician, right?"
"Esteemed, Great Magician, may I ask why you have graced our land?"
The strange-looking people looked at Oz with eyes full of admiration and reverence, clearly mistaking the sky-descending Oz for a powerful Great Magician.
What magic? I'm just a street Magician...
Oz was about to say so but stopped himself.
These people seemed to respect Magicians very much, and they also seemed very easy to fool...
I'm hungry and thirsty now, so couldn't I pretend to be a Magician and get some food and drink from them?
Heh heh, anyway, it's so far away here, no one can verify whether what I say is true or false!
Oz smiled slightly, put his hands on his hips, displaying his years of stage performance skills, and began to weave a story for the onlookers without even needing a draft:
"That's right, I am the powerful Magician—Oz, from the kingdom in the west.
"I started learning magic from Great Magician Rhine when I was 5 years old. Ah, you might not know, he is the most powerful Great Magician in our country.
"And I am Lord Rhine's most favored disciple, inheriting all his magic..."
The onlookers listened to Oz's story, their eyes wide, utterly stunned, occasionally letting out gasps of surprise.
"Oh my, if Lord Rhine heard the lies I'm telling, he would surely kill me. Please protect me, and let him never know what I've said..."
Oz secretly grumbled.
"Wow! You truly are an amazing Magician!" The strangely dressed people shrieked excitedly.
Soon, the people who worshipped Magicians arranged a lavish banquet for Oz.
They offered the most delicious food, allowing the hungry and thirsty Oz to have a good, hearty meal.
"Great Magician, have you had enough to eat?"
"Of course. Thank you for your food and water." Oz wiped his greasy mouth clean.
Instantly, shimmering light gleamed in the eyes of the men and women, and they pleaded, "Then, Great Magician Oz, please use your powerful magic to help us defeat the evil Eastern Witch and free us all from the Eastern Witch's enslavement!"
Ah?
What Witch?
Does your country also have Witches? The kind that can actually use magic?
Oz almost fainted when he saw the sincerity in their eyes.
Me, fighting the Eastern Witch? Is this for real?