181: Chapter 181: It shouldn't be a loss; this guy is a genius.

Chen Yiming thought about it with a frown, but in the end, she couldn't remember what else Gu Changming had told her.

Oh, she did remember the threat he made before they came: if she couldn't produce any more potion, he would tie her up and make her refine the simplest and cheapest potion all day long.

Hiss... terrifying.

After a brief moment of surprise, Chen Yiming quickly accepted Gu Changming's new identity. No wonder he was so generous; he really was her Patron!

A short while later, under Qin Lie's questioning, she also voiced all of her requirements.

Qin Lie glanced at the contents he had noted down on paper. After going over them in his mind, he spoke up:

"The requirements aren't high. I can even upgrade them for you to make them a complete system with interconnected parts. That should further increase the success rate..."

"Great, great!" Chen Yiming clapped her hands; she loved upgrades the most.

Qin Lie smiled, and at the same time, he noticed the change in Gu Changming's expression.

It seemed that when he mentioned the upgrade, Gu Changming's expression shifted slightly.

Hmm? Is an upgrade not a good thing?

Qin Lie was somewhat puzzled.

...

Perhaps it was because of Gu Changming's arrival, but Qin Lie felt full of energy and brimming with inspiration.

He didn't start crafting from raw materials. Instead, after purchasing a complete set of potion-making equipment from the Mall, he recast and forged them for an upgrade.

The initial process was somewhat dull and tedious. After watching for half an hour, Chen Yiming found a place to rest and fell asleep before long.

Although Gu Changming didn't quite understand it either, compared to Chen Yiming's potion-making technique, which looked like a ritual, he could at least make out the general idea of Qin Lie's hammering and clanging.

Besides, he really hadn't seen the other man in a long while and needed to chat for a bit.

"I didn't expect you to be in this Stronghold either," Gu Changming said. "And you've even become a Master."

Qin Lie smiled sheepishly, then turned the topic to Gu Changming.

"What kind of potion do you want to refine?"

"Something to increase my constitution and strength stats. My Mental Power is a bit over the limit and needs to be balanced. I've already used all the potion in the Mall, so I can only find someone to develop a new concoction."

"Oh, I see." Qin Lie nodded. "I also know a few high-level Apothecaries; they might be able to help you too."

With his current status, he naturally knew other highly skilled people in logistics professions within this Stronghold.

Gu Changming glanced at the sleeping Chen Yiming and shook his head. "My potion requirements are quite high."

"Hmm?"

"I need both stats to increase by over seventy."

Hearing this, Qin Lie's movements came to a halt, his expression one of astonishment.

"That won't be easy," Qin Lie said.

Although he specialized in forging, he had a basic understanding of potion. As for a potion that could increase two stats by over seventy, the high-level Apothecaries he knew probably wouldn't dare claim they could make one.

"Yeah." Gu Changming nodded, then jerked his chin toward Chen Yiming, who was lying on the sofa. "But she can."

He naturally knew this, otherwise he wouldn't have sought out Chen Yiming. For an average Apothecary, being able to produce something that increased stats by twenty or thirty would already be considered good.

Qin Lie looked at Chen Yiming with some surprise.

Gu Changming spoke again at this moment: "And she's already developed it for me. If she hadn't insisted on upgrading the formula or whatever, she probably wouldn't have needed to trouble you to forge a new set of equipment."

Qin Lie was quite shocked. He pursed his lips and asked, "Then how many points did that cost you? Did it reach a hundred thousand?"

Refining potion and developing potion are not the same; the difficulty levels are entirely different.

A potion that sells for three or four hundred in the Mall panel could have development costs of four or five thousand points.

"It's already over two hundred thousand, nearly three hundred thousand," Gu Changming said flatly.

"Huh?" Qin Lie doubted his own ears.

Now, he also understood why Gu Changming had reacted as if he'd been triggered when he mentioned the upgrade earlier.

To sink over two hundred thousand all at once—if it were him, he might have had a seizure right then and there.

Seeing Qin Lie's reaction, Gu Changming let out a few soft chuckles.

"It's fine. I probably won't lose out; this fellow is a genius."

...

The next day.

Before dawn, Gu Changming was woken up by chirping exclamations.

"Wow! Wow! Wow!"

"So exquisite! Amazing!"

Gu Changming didn't even need to listen to know who was making the noise.

He turned to look. At this moment, Chen Yiming was holding a crystal-clear test tube with light flowing over its surface, her eyes shining with amazement.

Beside her, Qin Lie's expression held a hint of pride.

Clearly, Chen Yiming's heartfelt praise provided him with a lot of emotional value.

Clearly, Qin Lie had succeeded in his forging, and Chen Yiming was quite satisfied with the finished product.

Gu Changming watched for a while. Once their excitement had died down a bit, he finally spoke:

"Done? Then let's go. Go back and continue refining potion for me."

Hearing Gu Changming's words, Chen Yiming's head snapped up, and she shook it resolutely.

"I'm not going back. I can't wait any longer; let's do it right here!"

"Here?" Gu Changming really couldn't keep up with this fellow's train of thought.

"Yes!" Chen Yiming nodded, rubbing her face against the potion-making equipment in her hands as if she couldn't bear to let go. "These tools are so good; my intuition tells me it will definitely work!"

The way back would only interrupt her inspiration and excitement.

Without waiting for Gu Changming's agreement, Chen Yiming immediately tapped a few times in the air.

A flash of silver-white light appeared, and a brand-new potion-making table materialized out of thin air on the forging room's platform.

Then, she nimbly moved the set of tools Qin Lie had just forged over to it.

Gu Changming watched, his eyes flickering again.

This potion-making table must have cost several hundred points. What a spendthrift, this fellow.

Gu Changming glanced at Qin Lie. After all, this was the other man's territory; he had to seek his consent.

And Qin Lie didn't seem to mind either, watching with curiosity.

After setting everything up, Chen Yiming quickly placed an order for several bottles of common reagents used for stabilizing medicinal properties and aiding reactions.

Then, treating Gu Changming and the other as if they were thin air, she began her preparations.

Once the preparations were finished, she looked up and spoke:

"Help me buy some herbs..." Before she could finish, she stopped herself. "Never mind, I'll just buy them directly from the Mall."

She was afraid that waiting would wear away the strong feel she had right now.

Gu Changming watched, wanting to say something but hesitating. In the end, seeing Chen Yiming's focused look and the light in her eyes, he swallowed his words.

Forget it. If it succeeds, all those losses will be worth it.

Watching Chen Yiming's skillful and artistic movements, Qin Lie also approached with interest and began to watch from the side.