The moment Pardofelis saw the crystal in Ai Yue's hand, she froze stiff. Moving faster than she ever had in her life, she snatched the gem from his hand and held it up to the light for a careful inspection. Her mouth never closed. "What kind of purity is this? There aren't any visible impurities at all! Isn't this way too outrageous?"
Only then did Pardofelis seem to come back to her senses. Somewhat embarrassed, she placed the gem back in Ai Yue's hand. "Um, this must be really valuable, right? Maybe I shouldn't take it..."
By now, Pardofelis knew much more about gemstones. She understood that a gem this large, this pure, and in such a rare color was exceedingly rare. Calling it priceless would not have been an exaggeration. No matter how much she loved gems, she did not dare simply claim such a treasure for herself.
"Take it. It's not as outrageous as you think."
Seeing the hesitant yet faintly longing look in Pardofelis's eyes, Ai Yue could not help shaking his head as he handed the gem back to her. "Strictly speaking, this thing isn't worth much—because it's artificially synthesized."
"Huh?"
Pardofelis examined the gem over and over, then finally looked up. "Can gems of this quality be synthesized now?"
In her eyes, the gem was practically flawless. If there was anything strange about it, it was probably only that its purity was so high that it did not really seem like a natural product.
"It's not something just anyone can do. At the very least, I'm the only one who can do it right now."
Ai Yue spoke casually. "Don't worry. I only made this one. Even if you sell it, no one will think it's fake."
"I'd never sell it!"
At last reassured by