Emerald Sparrow squinted slightly at the pristine scepter displayed in front of her.
This was not the first time she had seen Lin Xiaolu's Magic Armor, in fact, she had already seen Lin Xiaolu holding this very Magic Armor on the night of New Year's Eve.
However, compared to that fleeting glimpse then, observing it more closely felt far more substantial.
Undoubtedly, based on its appearance alone, this was by far the most ostentatious Magic Armor among all the Magical Girls.
With a scepter as its basic model, it wasn't the only one of its kind, but it certainly was rare. The huge, conspicuous gemstone at the center of the magic wand made it such that if Lin Xiaolu merely walked around the Magic Kingdom with this Magic Armor, the rate of turning heads would definitely reach one hundred percent.
After all, the first thing that would come to anyone's mind upon seeing Lin Xiaulu's Magic Armor would just be the words "Gemstone Scepter." The term Gemstone Scepter, synonymous with top-tier Magical Girls, was universally known and recognized within the realm.
Of course, considering the bizarre and varied designs of the Magical Girls' Magic Armors, it was natural to see one or two magic scepters occasionally; most people would accept this coincidence after their initial surprise. Compared to many oddly shaped Magic Armors, Lin Xiaolu's scepter-shaped Magic Armor wasn't too hard to accept.
Yet, in fact, this was precisely what worried Emerald Sparrow the most.
She had a growing suspicion that none of this was a coincidence.
She hadn't voiced this suspicion, as, after all, it was just a conjecture, and speaking out wouldn't make much sense, except possibly to unnecessarily increase the children's worries.
After pondering for a while, she could only make a mental note of this issue, to be verified later.
After pushing this concern aside for the time being, Emerald Sparrow's gaze continued downward, following the body of the scepter to its center, and then paused on the four prominent sockets.
In these four sockets were embedded four Crystal Stones. Except for the topmost one glowing with a blazing white light, the others were currently dull and lightless.
"You mentioned earlier that your Magic Armor can change shapes?"
She didn't let her thoughts wander but instead looked at Lin Xiaolu, "Can you demonstrate it here?"
Being able to drastically change its original form before blooming was something she had never heard of. In fact, she still harbored some doubts up to now, not because she thought Lin Xiaolu was boasting or lying, but rather she simply considered it to be some mechanism of the Magic Armor.
Just like the enemy they encountered before—Bai Wu, whose Magic Armor could also transform into various kinds of weapons, taking different forms. However, "becoming a weapon" itself was Bai Wu's mechanism and ability; Bai Wu's original form had always been that mass of black metallic liquid, which had never changed.
In her opinion, Lin Xiaolu's Magic Armor might also be similar; the so-called transformation might just be an external manifestation after using its power, a visual effect after transforming the scepter.
Although this still couldn't explain why Lin Xiaolu's Magic Armor could generate new abilities after changing its shape, it was still much more acceptable than the assertion "the Magic Armor itself can change shape."
Therefore, it was necessary to confirm what exactly Lin Xiaolu's Magic Armor was all about.
Once Emerald Sparrow spoke, Lin Xiaolu quickly nodded across from her.
It's not an exaggeration to say she had been waiting for this moment; she had hinted numerous times, both openly and covertly, to Emerald Sparrow about showing off her Magic Armor. Now that she finally got the chance, she naturally wanted to put on a good display.
In her view, her Magic Armor currently had two shapes. The basic shape looked quite good and impressive, but right now, she wanted Emerald Sparrow to see the guard shape of the Magic Armor.
Thus, she immediately reached out, grabbed her Magic Armor, and began to recall the sensation she felt when she had changed its shape before...
Then, nothing happened.
She released her hand, looked down at her Magic Armor, and realized the scepter was still the same scepter. At most, the Crystal Stone on the shaft glimmered slightly, but there was no trace of transforming into another shape.
Unable to control her emotions, a puzzled sound unconsciously escaped from Lin Xiaolu's mouth.
She picked up her Magic Armor and tried again, but the Magic Armor still showed no signs of activity no matter how she swung or twisted it.
Xia Liang and Bai Jingxuan both looked unsurprised, and even Emerald Sparrow didn't show any unexpected emotions. After all, this kind of malfunction during actual combat wasn't the first occurring incident for Lin Xiaolu; everyone had some psychological anticipation.
The reason Emerald Sparrow hadn't instantly offered her analysis but instead let Lin Xiaolu demonstrate the ability to change the shape of the Magic Armor also involved this consideration.
Of course, while they might not react, it didn't mean Lin Xiaolu was also emotionless; there she was, awkwardly grabbing her magic wand, embarrassed to the point her face nearly turned as red as a liver.
"No, I definitely used it smoothly during the actual combat before..." she argued futilely.
Xia Liang laughed awkwardly but politely, "It's alright, I've seen your Magic Armor before. I know you really have this ability. Maybe it's just not a good state right now, right?"