Chapter 150: A “Kind” Piece of Advice
Aurora and Dorothy had t Pinocchio just the day before.
The poor wooden puppet had ended up stranded in the Land of Oz, completely unfamiliar with his surroundings. Overwheld with sadness, he burst into wailing sobs.
He thought about his father—Old Carpenter Geppetto—and the magician who had given him life, Rhine.
“Why am I so unlucky? How did I get dragged into this ss and end up in this strange country?”
After crying himself into exhaustion, Pinocchio wandered around, trying to find his way ho.
He spoke with the crows in the sky, the field mice on the ground, and other talking creatures of the green wilderness, hoping to find a temporary place to stay.
Following the guidance of the animals, Pinocchio sneaked into a Munchkin’s house.
It was raining outside, and the weather was chilly. Seeking warmth, Pinocchio rested his feet on a heated brick bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, he was horrified to find that his wooden feet had burned away.
Frightened and helpless, he couldn’t stand up. All he could do was lie on the ground and cry out loud.
“Why am I so miserable?
“It must be because I’m just a wooden puppet, carved by a carpenter—just moving wood, not a real boy.
“If I were a real boy, my feet wouldn’t burn away so easily without noticing.
“I wouldn’t have ended up performing in a puppet show and getting dragged into this ss either.”
The more Pinocchio thought, the harder he cried.
Luckily, Aurora and Dorothy happened to pass by and discovered the footless Pinocchio.
“I know that puppet! His na is Pinocchio. He got pulled into this world just like ,” Aurora exclaid.
They hired a Munchkin carpenter to craft a new foot for Pinocchio—one even sturdier and more beautiful than before. Pinocchio was overjoyed.
And so, he joined their group on the journey to Erald City.
On the way, Pinocchio felt a special connection with the Tin Man and the Scarecrow—after all, they were all made from different materials.
Of course, the Tin Man insisted that he had once been a real human, unlike Pinocchio.
Pinocchio soon learned that the Tin Man and the Scarecrow wanted to ask Oz for a heart and a brain, respectively.
Hearing this, the little wooden puppet decided on his own wish:
“When I et Oz, besides asking him to send ho, I want to ask him to turn into a real boy!”
That was how things had unfolded until now.
Dorothy listened to Aurora’s comnt and glanced at their team—Tin Man, Scarecrow, Pinocchio, and the Lion—before seriously considering it.
“I don’t think there’s anything odd about our new mbers.
“Hmm… Maybe the Lion? It’s the only one with flesh and blood, and it’s an animal. The others are either made of straw, tal, or wood.
“But don’t forget, Toto is an animal too.”
Toto was Dorothy’s dog.
Aurora thought Dorothy’s logic made sense.
Even though she still had a vague feeling that Pinocchio didn’t quite belong in this group, she couldn’t pinpoint why.
Maybe it was just because Pinocchio, like her and Dorothy, had co from outside the Land of Oz. Who knew?
“As I see it, you two should also ask Oz to turn you into real, flesh-and-blood humans,” Pinocchio said to the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. “That way, you’d get a brain and a heart at the sa ti! You know, just in case Oz is only willing to grant each person one wish.”
Just then, a cloaked figure stepped into their path.
“So, you’re heading to Erald City to see Oz? Hoping he’ll grant your wishes?”
“What a pity—your wishes will never co true. That fraud will just make up so excuse or simply chase you away.”
The cloaked figure spoke.
When Aurora caught a glimpse of the brown skin and mustache beneath the hood, her eyes narrowed sharply.
Magrito!
“You again?!” Aurora imdiately placed a hand on the sword at her waist and warned her companions:
“This guy is an evil magician from outside Oz. He’s working with the Eastern Witch!”
Back in the White Kingdom, Rhine had secretly monitored the Eastern Witch through birds and discovered her cooperation with Magrito. He had warned Aurora about it.
The appearance of the Enderland warships later only confird this.
Pinocchio jumped in fright, the Tin Man reached for his axe, and Toto barked furiously at Magrito. The Lion wanted to hide—but it was far too big to take cover behind anyone, so it had to muster its courage and pretend to be calm.
Seeing everyone on high alert, Magrito simply chuckled.
“You all seem very wary of . But that doesn’t matter. I ca here with good intentions.
“I’m here to tell you that the so-called ‘Great Magician’ ruling this land is nothing more than a fraud.
“He has no magic at all. He can’t grant your wishes. Don’t let yourselves be deceived.”
Dorothy and her companions were stunned, unsure whether to believe this stranger.
How could the mighty magician, whom the entire land revered, be a fraud?
“That’s impossible. People say Oz is fearso and powerful—stronger than even the combined magic of several witches!” Dorothy objected. “If he has no magic, then how could he make people believe he’s a great magician?”
Magrito smirked confidently.
“I co from outside the Land of Oz. I am now a magician of the great Ender Empire. That empire is close to Oz’s holand.
“I investigated. That so-called ‘Oz’ used to be nothing more than a circus magician and a balloon pilot—just a perforr who entertained crowds.
“All of his ‘magic’ is nothing but tricks. He fooled everyone into believing he’s a great magician, but to soone with real magic, his tricks are laughable.”
Dorothy found the explanation sowhat convincing. After all, she had seen circus and magic performances back in her holand—those shows really did seem like magic.
Sensing their hesitation, Magrito pressed on:
“You’re on your way to et Oz and ask him to grant your wishes.
“But he has no power to do so. He’ll just make up so excuse to brush you off.
“From what I know, Oz hides behind a screen and uses tricks to make himself appear as a terrifying monster or sothing else. If you don’t know the truth, you might actually fall for his deception.
“But now that I’ve warned you, you’ll be able to expose his fraud!”
Dorothy hesitated before asking, “Why are you telling us this? What do you want from us? I don’t have anything to give you.”
She rembered that Aurora had called him an evil magician, so she didn’t believe he would simply do sothing out of goodwill.
“I don’t want anything.” Magrito shrugged. “But if you do expose Oz’s fraud, you must tell the people of Erald City the truth—tell them they’ve all been deceived!
“All you need to do is report exactly what you see.”
The Tin Man, Scarecrow, Pinocchio, Lion, and Dorothy exchanged uncertain glances.
They each had a wish they needed Oz to grant. If Oz really was a fraud, then he wouldn’t be able to help them.
“Are you done talking?” Aurora said coldly, glaring at Magrito as she drew her sword.
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