Although she had gone over thorough contingency plans with Larkspur before the exam, when the secret was suddenly exposed, Bai Jingxuan still felt her throat tighten. She stood frozen in place, her thoughts as chaotic as fallen leaves swept up in a storm.
She looked at the other woman while feigning calm, but she could not utter a single word of explanation.
"Do you know that you're an Offsetter?" The examiner's question came right on the heels of the last, giving her no chance to catch her breath.
"I... I think..." She swallowed, trying to buy herself a little time to think, but such self-deception was clearly useless. Her muddled thoughts were like a tangled ball of thread—the harder she pulled, the tighter the knots became.
"If you know the specifics of your base color, I might be able to provide a more detailed report on your Magic Armament. But if you don't, that would be a bit of a pity." Fortunately, this examiner did not seem particularly harsh. Even though Bai Jingxuan was visibly tense, she merely assumed it was because the girl was in an examination room and did not consider anything else.
Perhaps it was also because Bai Jingxuan was still so young. Even among the generally underage female examinees, she looked far more immature, so no one would immediately grow suspicious.
"A pity... why?" Bai Jingxuan instinctively repeated the other woman's words.
"Knowing the details of your Offset condition would help us analyze the relatively unusual performance of your Magic Armament. If our team determines that your Offset has a beneficial effect on it, it may improve your potential rating."
The examiner continued explaining on her own, "The manifestation level of your True Form is very low. With the equipment here alone, I can't determine whether