[Belth actually seems to notice what Eithan is wearing, though it's less of an appreciative glance and more like he's curious about the pre-ripped jeans. That isn't something he's seen before. He's about to remark on that when he's asked a question. Momentarily distracted, he shoves his bangs out of his eyes and sits up a bit.]

The rocks on this system seem to have some very interesting properties. There's a kind of quartz that actually sings when I give it a little magic, so I've taken a bunch of samples-- I'm determining their channeling quality. It occured to me after our last experiment that conjuring an actual crystal for this might make the mana gem more volatile than it needs to be. However, if I use something that is inherently not magical, it should form a stable base that can then house the spell.

It seems so obvious now. Instead of recreating what I know, I should be incorporating other techniques. Even Earth can offer something, if what I've read is true; quartz is apparently very common, and it has uses in all sorts of industries.

[... Poor Eithan, he didn't ask for this.]