Corundum

4

You steady yourself and try to keep calm as you enter the combination of numbers on your piece of paper. The usual employees have to use a magnetic card, you suspect. The display informs you, that you are below the earth's surface, because the floors number spells -8.

So you're six feet under now? What a macabre thought.

The door slowly opens and reveals a large complex of many single laboratories separated by gigantic walls of glass. The artificial light is as cold as the steel that dominates the interior. This is cutting edge technology! You recognize the latest models of scanning electron microscopes, a secured section for X-ray diffraction, muffle furnances and other things that belong into a high end laboratory. This is stunning, you are overwhelmed by the equipment. But there is a suspicious lack of employees... is no one actually working right now?

The first person you recognize is a petite woman with dark pink hair, wearing an austere look. With her strict pigtail and her white coat she looks almost intimidating as she approaches. The look, she gives you, makes you feel worse than trash.

"I have no time for kidding around, miss. Orochimaru-samas secretary called me to observe your employment test. So follow me, so we can get that shit done."

Oh, it's best not to tangle with her, you tell yourself. Have you done anything wrong or was it her temper? Maybe a bad day or you actually look like a rival. She didn't even introduce herself or asked for your name, how cold.

The unfriendly one guides you through some rooms while not paying even the slightest interest in you. After some steps she stops abruptly in front of a simple metal-desk, turns around and crosses her arms in a rejecting manner. The cards are stacked against you, it seems.

"Orochimaru-sama has me set up a simple test for you. It should be very easy to pass. If you want to work under him or under Uchiha Madara, you have to prove yourself as worthy gemologist. If you are experienced, you should master the task without any problems and without any other gadgets than your own eyes."

She has a devious smile. You fear facing an unfair test...however, this is better than having none, right?

With one fast move, the moody laboratory assistant turned around and pulled four tiny bags of an undefined mineral out of her clean white coat, opened them and poured them into a small petri dish on the table.

"It's up to you now! I'll give you ten minutes to identify 'em. One little hint: two kinds of minerals produced in two different ways. Start now."

What is that? Did Parasol really employ these type of people?

Well...

You have no time for this you have to fail a test!

*

Two minerals, produced in two different ways and a total of four handpieces which have the size of a pinhead. You need to think. What could this mean?

Obviously you have to differ between two minerals.

Produced in two ways... well, that could mean a lot and nothing. One of them is crafted by the force of nature, the other one will be man-made, you conclude. So you have to identify their chemical mixture and then determine the origin... without any expedients.

That's impossible. You cannot esteem or judging four similar minerals by only having one small look at them. Even in the field you have a great number of methods, but this is pure mockery, no one could meet the requirements in this test. By all means, that's not fair. Not even the most experienced gemologist could make a reliable statement without having a great chance to be wrong.