168: Chapter 168 That depends on whether you have enough points.

Cangwu Stronghold.

The scale of this Stronghold wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either; it was about the size of a small county town from the Pre-Assessment Era.

Its style was completely different from the heavily guarded, high-walled Xinhuo Stronghold.

It didn't have any walls, and its architectural layout was somewhat loose.

The entire Stronghold gave off a bustling vibe, looking more like a functional gathering place brought together by common needs rather than a fortress.

The person Gu Changming was looking for was right here. They were an Apothecary with a special talent for researching potion.

In the early stages of the Assessment, this was a gathering point for many people with lifestyle and logistics classes.

Later on, this Stronghold was scattered by a beast tide. By chance, that person joined the 'Fireseed' organization where Jiang Chen was. That was how he had dealt with them a few times later and knew they had stayed here for a while.

He also knew that they had the ability to create potion that could increase all three of his primary stats.

Items sold in the Mall were always of upper-middle quality; truly useful and precious things couldn't be bought there.

Otherwise, what would be the point of having other logistics classes?

As for the potion that could increase those three attributes, he had already bought and consumed everything he could.

Therefore, to continue improving, he had to find someone for a custom order.

...

As he approached the entrance of Cangwu Stronghold, Gu Changming leapt directly off the back of the Flying Magical Beast.

The wind whistled past his ears as the ground rapidly enlarged in his vision.

Just before hitting the ground, Gu Changming used his Spirit to steady himself and landed smoothly.

At the same time, the Mimic Beast in the air shrank and transformed, turning into a puddle of flowing black "jelly" that landed precisely on Gu Changming's shoulder with a splat.

After confirming that no one was paying attention to him, Gu Changming pulled up the hood of his coat to cover his face. Without stopping, he set off toward the bustling interior of the Stronghold.

Since he didn't know the person's current location, Gu Changming first ducked into an area dedicated to selling various medicinal herbs after entering the Stronghold.

Compared to the crude stalls of the early civilization Assessment, which only had a few pieces of tattered cloth and a handful of withered roots, the trading area today was indeed much more prosperous, featuring fixed stalls and corresponding tools.

Gu Changming wandered halfway around before stopping in front of a stall owner who looked relatively friendly.

Gu Changming stepped forward and gave it a simple scan.

Of course, he wasn't looking to buy any special herbs—he knew nothing about them. He was scanning to see which ones were cheap and practical, so buying them wouldn't be a waste.

Gu Changming pointed at several common Hemostatic Herbs and said, "One of each of these."

The stall owner responded briskly, picked out the herbs, tied them up, and handed them to Gu Changming.

"That will be eleven points."

Gu Changming took the medicine bag and paid the points.

Once the transaction was complete, he spoke up: "Oh, by the way, I'd like to ask you something."

It was like buying a bottle of water before asking for directions in a shop; once a deal was made, the other party's attitude would be better, and they'd be more willing to talk.

"Hmm? What is it?" the stall owner replied, looking up.

"Is there an Apothecary named Chen Yiming nearby?" Gu Changming asked.

Hearing Gu Changming's question, a look of surprise appeared on the stall owner's face. He sized him up before replying:

"There is, but... what do you want with her?"

"I'm from another Stronghold. I heard from a friend that her potion-making skills are quite good, so I wanted to commission her to refine some potion for me."

The stall owner showed a subtle smile upon hearing this.

"Her skills are indeed good, there's no doubt about that. Compared to other famous apothecaries in the Stronghold, she's even a bit better."

The stall owner first offered a word of affirmation, but then his tone shifted. "However..."

"However what?" Gu Changming asked cooperatively.

"However, she has a bit of a peculiar personality; she always likes to take unconventional risks."

The stall owner sighed and shook his head as he spoke. "Her abilities and the inheritance she received aren't bad, but she just loves to research strange formulas herself or use unorthodox methods to boost the effects of her potion by a few degrees."

"So, her failure rate in refining potion is famously high around here."

"Is that so?" Gu Changming replied, his expression not appearing very concerned.

Seeing that Gu Changming seemed genuinely interested, the stall owner decided to open up.

"I won't lie to you. There was a customer before, quite strong, who saved up a lot of materials and wanted her to refine a potion that could expand the range of a skill."

"For formulas with similar effects on the market—the ones with high success rates—you could reliably get it for about three thousand five hundred points, including materials and labor."

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "And guess what? After she took the job, she insisted that conventional formulas were mediocre and that she wanted to create a more powerful potion for them."

"In the end, the points that customer poured in more than doubled, and they still didn't get the item... The last time they went to check on the progress, it had reset to zero again. They were so angry they fainted on the spot and had to be carried away."

Listening to this, Gu Changming couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Seeing Gu Changming laughing along, the stall owner asked back with a mischievous grin, "Are you sure that friend of yours... isn't trying to screw you over? Recommending you find her to refine potion."

"It's fine," Gu Changming replied. "I'll give it a try first. If it doesn't work out, we'll see."

Seeing that he wasn't scared off, the stall owner also smiled, seemingly enjoying the drama.

"Alright, then it depends on whether your wallet can hold out. If it can, she'll definitely be able to whip up a potion that satisfies you. After all, her level and ability are very impressive."

"Mhm." Gu Changming nodded, then glanced at the points balance on his panel.

[points: 215,492]

Over two hundred thousand. This was the "meager" amount of points he had painstakingly earned over several days in that secret realm with the Mimic Beast before the 'Malice' Assessment.

"It should hold out," Gu Changming replied with a smile.

...

After getting her address, Gu Changming left the trading area and headed toward the residential area above.

The location of her address was quite subtle. It wasn't in the crowded mixed-living area of the bottom-tier logistics workers, nor was it in the upper-tier area where the prestigious master logistics professionals resided.

Instead, it was right in the middle, which fit her profile of having good skills but an extremely high failure rate.

Entering the residential area where houses were closely connected, he walked along a narrow alleyway for a while before finding the corresponding house number at a fork in the road.

What appeared before him was a medium-sized single-story house. The exterior walls were made of a common grey-white synthetic material, nothing special.

Gu Changming stepped forward and knocked on the door a few times.

Almost immediately, a clear and noticeably urgent female voice came from inside:

"Wait! I'm coming!"