The girl opened a small door, and Dorothy, mustering her courage, holding her puppy Toto, followed her companions inside.
Together, they walked through a dark corridor.
Everyone was both nervous and excited.
"So, is Oz really a true magician or not?" they discussed, one person asking a question after another.
Only Aurora, who already knew everything that had transpired, remained calm and did not participate in their chattering discussion.
They pushed open another door and entered a spacious circular room.
On the ceiling was a bright, large lamp, made of Emerald, shining like the sun in the sky. In the center of the room was a huge green marble throne, sparkling with dazzling gemstone light.
"Respected and Great Oz, are you here?" Dorothy asked, gathering her courage.
She suddenly recalled what Maglido had said earlier.
"Oz will use magic to disguise himself in various forms, while he himself will hide behind a screen."
Dorothy glanced around and indeed found a screen in the corner of the room.
"Will Oz be hiding there? And meet us in a false magical form?" she couldn't help but wonder.
The Scarecrow also had the same suspicion.
Dorothy walked towards the screen in the corner of the room, wanting to see if anyone was behind it, but then an aged voice came from behind the throne:
"Yes, I am here, I am the Oz you are looking for."
A small old man walked out from behind the throne.
His skin was as withered as dry bark, and he was short, appearing to have no majesty, but his face was kind, clearly a benevolent old man, which reminded Dorothy of her aunt and uncle far away in a foreign land.
"You are Oz?" Everyone was stunned. "I thought you would be some kind of particularly terrifying figure!"
How could the great and terrible Oz be like this?
Oz shook his head:
"There is no need for that. Those forms are only used to maintain dignity, and I do not need to instill fear in you or intimidate you; it is enough to meet you in my truest form.
"In the future, I will also meet others in the Emerald City in my true form."
Hearing Oz say this, Dorothy immediately felt a lot of goodwill towards this small old man.
Oz was not scary at all, nor did he seem like a fraud. This King was different from what others said, Dorothy thought.
"Tell me, the reason you have come to visit me."
As Oz spoke, he clapped his hands, performing a magic spell.
The teapot on the table began to boil water on its own, then flew into the air, pouring a cup of tea for everyone.
Such a sight left everyone stunned.
"It's amazing!" the Tin Woodman exclaimed.
"As expected of a Great Magician!" the Scarecrow said.
"Is this magic? This doesn't look like a magic trick at all," Dorothy said.
She was extremely excited and spoke first, facing the Magician who had displayed such wondrous power, and said earnestly:
"Great Oz, I am the insignificant and gentle Dorothy. I want to return to my homeland.
"My home is on the grasslands of the Kingdom of Sas. My aunt and uncle are there. Although your country is beautiful, my aunt will be very worried since I have not been home for so long.
"If you could send me directly back to my homeland, that would, of course, be best. If you are unwilling to help me, you could also take me to meet my companion Aurora's teacher—the Great Magician Rhine. Aurora said that the Great Magician can take me back to my homeland."
Oz, the thin-skinned small old man, nodded serenely:
"I will have a Soldier take you to see the Great Magician Rhine shortly.
"You may have heard on your way here that Rhine is also my teacher. He is a kind, benevolent, and wise sage full of wisdom.
"To my knowledge, no Magician is greater or more knowledgeable than Rhine. He will surely be able to send you home."
Dorothy was overjoyed.
The Great Oz was more approachable than she had imagined, directly agreeing to her request without any difficulties or demands.
"That evil Magician named Maglido was indeed lying to us. Oz didn't disguise himself in any terrifying form to scare us; he is such an approachable good person! How could he be a liar?"
Next to step forward was the Scarecrow.
The Scarecrow bowed deeply to Oz, making his posture as perfect as possible, and then said:
"I am just a Scarecrow, filled entirely with straw, so I have no brain. I have come to you to request that you grant me a brain, so that I may be like anyone else in your land."
Oz was clearly taken aback by the Scarecrow's request.
The short old man thought for a moment and said:
"Making a good brain is not something that can be done immediately. I cannot give you an excellent brain on the spot; it will certainly take some time. I believe you would surely prefer a clever, wise brain, right? And would not want to fill your head with a dull, bad brain, or a brain full of ill intentions."
"Of course, Great Oz," the Scarecrow felt that Oz's words made a lot of sense.
Having a particularly bad or evil brain would certainly be a very terrifying thing. He would rather Oz take more time to create a brain more suitable for him.
"In that case, come see me tomorrow. I need to take some time to make you a wise brain—I don't guarantee it will succeed."
Having received Oz's promise, the Scarecrow happily stepped back:
"Thank you, Great Oz!"
Next to step forward was the Tin Woodman:
"I was once a woodcutter, but I accidentally became a Tin Woodman. So I have no heart and cannot feel love. I request that you grant me a heart, so that I may be like a normal person."
Oz asked, "You said you were once a normal person, flesh and blood? Unlike your Scarecrow friend."
"Absolutely true, Great Oz."
"Then why did you become like this?" Oz asked curiously.
The Tin Woodman explained:
"I fell in love with a Munchkins girl and worked hard every day, wanting to marry her. But her mother was a lazy person; she didn't want to see her daughter marry, as she would then lose her daughter's care.
"So, she sacrificed livestock to the powerful Eastern Witch, asking the Eastern Witch to curse me. My axe was struck by evil curse magic, repeatedly cutting off my hands, legs, body, and head.
"A kind tinsmith saved me, forging me my current Tin body.
"But I would never have a heart again, and thus could not love that girl."
Oz sighed; this thin-skinned, short old man seemed to greatly sympathize with the Tin Woodman's plight:
"That is truly a sad thing."
Dorothy saw Oz's genuine look of sympathy and realized that this King could empathize with her companions, which made her feel even more goodwill towards this approachable Great Magician.
"Although Oz is nothing like the legends, one thing they didn't get wrong: he truly is a good Magician!" Dorothy thought.