About Mana Fragments...

[Zria]

Since my Crafting Class is Alchemist, I just realized something while reading the item description for the Mana Fragment:

Mana Fragment
Materials Required: None
Posts Required: 1
Condensed and crystallized mana extracted from an individual who was performing a magic-based skill at the time. It is a fragile crystal that melts upon contact with the body and is said to be a possible fuel supply. You obtain 1 Mana Fragment for every post you make in a research or crafting thread. Cannot be speed crafted, but can be bought from the NPC shop.

So my actual question is:

For example, I've got three completed crafting threads; and all of them have 3 posts each, so that means I should get 9 Mana Fragments. So... where does the actual "Mana Fragment" gained from these posts come from? Do... do we have to buy them directly from the shop per piece, or it just... "appears" in our inventory over time? The part in the Mana Fragment item description where it states this actually made me think about where these Mana Fragments actually come from:

You obtain 1 Mana Fragment for every post you make in a research or crafting thread.

Clarifications are highly appreciated (and extremely helpful)!

[Benetnasch]

You gain them from posting in crafting/research threads, and redeem them as crafting claims.

Example one
Example two

The option to buy is mostly there for the sake of convenience.