"It looks real. Yeah, these gems are decent."
An old man at the counter muttered the words without looking up, turning a gem slowly under the scrutiny of a magnifying glass. His eyes were steady. His voice was flat. He had assessed things like this for a long time and nothing about his expression suggested this was complicated.
Carnite Gems were not mana crystals. Unlike mana crystals, they were formed from pure mana that had undergone a specific purifying process native to the five elements school's house of earth. The process was long and the conditions precise. One gem equaled a thousand gold coins, and there was no credible way to fake the interior glow. The money was complete.
The attendant stared at the side of his head.
"Are you sure, old man?"
The suspicion in her eyes hadn't moved.
The old man set the gem down and picked up another one without answering immediately.
