I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Foundry World No. 001, Core Industrial Zone, Primal Furnace.

As we passed through the rusty canyon filled with wreckage, the temperature in the air began to rise sharply.

If the steel graveyard we just passed was a cold and desolate cemetery, then this place is... purgatory.

Acid rain stopped falling from the sky because all the moisture evaporated into scalding white mist the moment it hit the ground. The ground turned dark red as underground heat seeped through the earth's metallic crust.

The enormous conveyor belts, like giant black pythons, intertwined in the air, continuously transporting countless tons of discarded metal waste to the towering building in the center.

That was a... [living blast furnace].

It stands a kilometer tall, resembling a giant clad in heavy plate armor, its lower body connected to the earth's ley lines, while its upper body spews black smoke and flames. Its chest contains a massive, open furnace, within which churning golden primordial fire.

[BOSS: Forge Lord Ignis.]

[Race: Giant Industrial Construct.]

[Identity: The energy core that forges the world / The mastermind behind waste incineration.]

[Abilities: Melting all things, high-temperature rays, recasting scrap.]

[Motto: In this world, if you can't shine or give off heat, then go into the furnace and become fuel.]

……

"It's so hot!"

Er Gou (in husky form) stuck out his tongue, feeling like he was about to turn into a hot dog.

"Boss, I smell... roasted meat? No, it smells like roasted iron!"

"Be patient."

Jiang Li wiped the sweat from his forehead (although he was protected by divine power, the conceptual-level high temperature here was still uncomfortable).

He looked at the enormous furnace lord.

There was no fear in his eyes, but rather a look of...criticism.

"The temperature is high, but... it's unevenly distributed."

Jiang Li pointed to the flickering flames on the Forge Lord's chest.

"The left side is 3,000 degrees, while the right side is only 1,500 degrees."

"At this temperature, even steelmaking would be difficult, let alone cooking."

"It's simply...a waste of fuel."

……

Just then.

"Buzz—"

A muffled whistle sounded from inside the furnace lord.

Its enormous electronic eyes, like searchlights, slowly rotated, locking onto the tiny intruders beneath its feet.

"Organic pollutants have been discovered."

"Found...unregistered waste."

The Forge Lord's voice was like thunder, accompanied by the deafening sound of metal rubbing together.

"No matter who you are."

"Enter my territory."

There is only one destiny.

"That is... [turning into slag]."

boom!

The Forge Lord raised his massive mechanical arm.

That arm was a giant pouring pipe.

"Splash—"

A cascade of scorching, golden-red molten steel, carrying destructive heat, poured down on everyone.

……

"Playing with fire?"

Nezha (in his mechanical form) snorted disdainfully.

"Playing with molten steel in front of the ancestors who played with fire?"

"Trying to teach a fish to swim!"

The Wind Fire Wheels beneath Nezha's feet instantly swelled.

"Heavenly Silk! Heat Insulation Mode!"

The red Hun Tian Ling transformed into a massive firewall, blocking everyone's view.

"Sizzle—"

The molten steel poured onto the Hun Tian Ling produced a loud explosion, but it couldn't burn through the artifact.

"Great Sage! Go and cool it down!"

Jiang Li shouted.

"Okay!"

Sun Wukong pulls out his golden cudgel (the holy sword of physics).

"Big big!"

The golden cudgel transformed into a pillar supporting the sky.

"Cut it up for me, Old Sun!"

boom!

The golden cudgel was precisely inserted into the nozzle of the furnace lord's arm, which was spewing molten steel.

"What?!"

The Forge Lord's processor lags for a moment.

Because the outlet was blocked, the pressure inside its body surged instantly.

"Warning... Internal pressure overload..."

"Warning... Risk of backfire..."

……

"Don't rush to blow it up!"

Jiang Li leaped into the air and stood atop the golden cudgel, facing the enormous furnace giant.

"Big guy."

"Don't waste your temper."

"I happen to need... an oven."

Jiang Li took out the Klein pot.

And the various "ingredients" I collected on the way.

"Since you like smelting so much..."

"Then I'll ask you... for a favor."

"Bake me a... [Heavy Metal Lava Pizza]."

……

"Pizza?"

The Forge Lord's simple logic circuits couldn't comprehend this vocabulary.

But it felt humiliated.

"I am the great master of the furnace! Not a kitchen utensil!"

"roar--"

Its chest furnace door opened wide, spewing out a thick beam of high-energy particles.

"Wow, she's got quite a temper."

Jiang Li dodged to the side.

"If you refuse a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty cup."

"Nezha! Control the temperature!"

"Keep its core temperature... steady at 280 degrees!"

"Wukong! Open up its furnace door...!"

"Yes, sir!"

Two powerful henchmen launched an attack simultaneously.

Nezha unleashed Samadhi Fire to counter the Furnace Lord's Primordial Fire, forcefully suppressing its firepower fluctuations.

Wukong used his golden cudgel to hold down the huge furnace door.

"Open your mouth...!"

……

Cooking begins.

Location: The chest of the Forge Lord (as an oven).

Step 1: Make the pie crust.

Jiang Li took out a bag of [nanopolymer flour] (found from a waste food factory).

Mixed with heavy water.

Add a little industrial yeast.

"Fermentation!"

Under the influence of the Gluttony God, the dough expanded instantly.

Jiang Li tossed the dough into the air.

"change!"

He spun the dough in the air.

The immense centrifugal force flung the dough into a... super pizza crust with a diameter of 100 meters.

This crust is tough and thick, it could even stop a bullet.

Step 2: Apply the sauce.

"The soul of pizza is tomato sauce."

"But here..."

Jiang Li pointed to the flowing, crimson steel river beside them.

"Red molten steel... is the best ketchup."

"Ergou! Scoop some sauce!"

"Woof!"

Er Gou (the Chaos Devouring Dog) is carrying a huge heat-resistant spoon (an excavator bucket) and scooping up a spoonful of boiling molten steel.

Pour it onto the bottom of the pancake.

"Sizzle—"

The pancake didn't burn through because it's made of nano flour.

The molten steel spread across the surface of the pancake, emitting a dangerous, fiery red glow.

Step 3: Spread the ingredients.

"Bring on the main course!"

Jiang Li took out the [Alloy Meat Cubes] that were left over from dismantling the Chainsaw Mantis.

I took out the [crystal capacitor slice] (to use as a pineapple).

They brought out the [fiber optic onion ring].

And most importantly...

"Sprinkle with cheese!"

Jiang Li took out a bucket of [high viscosity insulating silicone] (which looked like melted mozzarella cheese).

"This is the brushed finish of industrial style!"

slam-la-

White silicone poured down, covering the red molten steel and diced metal.

……

Step 4: Bake in the oven.

"Great Sage! Take the cakes in!"

"Okay!"

Wukong conjured up a giant metal shovel (which he also picked up from the ruins).

Shovel up this heavy metal pizza, which is 100 meters in diameter.

Facing the open chest (furnace) of the Forge Lord.

"Get out of here!"

whoosh-

The pizza flew into the Furnace Lord's body.

"No!!!!!"

The Forge Lord let out a desperate electronic roar.

"My core! My combustion chamber!"

"Don't put that weird thing in there!"

Even trash... needs to be sorted!

But it didn't work.

The pizza has landed steadily on its grate.

"Nezha! Seal the fire!"

"Bake for five minutes!"

"no problem!"

Nezha used his magic ribbon to block the furnace opening.

……

five minutes.

For the Forge Lord, these were the longest five minutes of its millennia-long life.

It felt something expanding inside its stomach.

That thing is not only absorbing its heat.

It's still releasing an... extremely horrible scent.

That's not the smell of molten metal.

That is……

The aroma of wheat, meat, and oil... mixed with a kind of "decaying civilization" (the guilt unique to high-calorie foods).

The fragrance spread throughout its body along its ventilation ducts.

It not only contaminated its sensors.

They even... invaded its core logic.

[WARNING! Unknown data packet (fragrance) detected.]

[WARNING! Core code is being... "greedyed".]

[Logical contradiction! I am the furnace... but I seem to be... hungry?]

……

"Ding!"

Jiang Li was timing himself.

"Time's up!"

"Out of the oven!"

Nezha took back the Hun Tian Ling.

Wukong used a shovel to scoop the pizza out.

boom!

A plume of golden steam shot into the sky.

A huge, golden-brown, crispy pizza, topped with molten red steel and white silicone cheese, appeared before everyone.

[Dish Name: The Heavy Metal Lava Pizza]

[Rank: Industrial Miracle]

[Description: Using a living blast furnace as the oven, nano-flour as the base, molten steel as the sauce, and insulating silicone as the cheese.]

[Taste: The crust is as crispy as a biscuit; you can almost hear the metallic crackling of it when you bite into it. The molten steel sauce delivers an intensely spicy and hot experience, while the silicone cheese stretches for three kilometers.]

[Benefits: Replenishes a massive amount of energy. Grants the user a "furnace heart," not only providing heat resistance but also warming those around them like a furnace (physical).]

……

"Cut it open!"

Jiang Li wielded Occam's Razor.

brush brush --

The huge pizza was cut into eight pieces.

"Come on, everyone."

"Eat it while it's hot."

"Especially that big guy."

Jiang Li pointed to the Furnace Lord, who was slumped on the ground, looking as if he had been hollowed out.

"You have one too."

"After all, you baked it yourself."

"Try your own cooking."

……

Jiang Li cut off the largest piece and used his telekinesis to send it to the Furnace Lord.

The Forge Lord's enormous electronic eyes blinked.

It stared at the pizza that was still dripping molten steel.

That was its energy (molten steel), and also its shame (being used as an oven).

but……

That fragrance...

[System notification: Energy reserves are low. It is recommended to replenish with high-calorie fuel.]

[Recommended fuel: High-energy object ahead.]

Its system made the choice for it.

"Click."

The Forge Lord stretched out his mechanical arm and grabbed the pizza.

It was stuffed into the mouth (feed inlet).

chew.

"Squeak, squeak—"

The metal flatbread broke.

The molten steel sauce and silicone cheese inside burst open.

"drop!!!!"

The Forge Lord's electronic eyes instantly turned...pink.

"What...what are these parameters?"

"This feedback signal..."

"Is this...delicious?"

"My hearth... is cheering!"

"My flame... is burning!"

Its original ferocious aura disappeared.

Instead, there's a kind of... lethargy, like someone who's full and doesn't want to move.

"tasty……"

It emitted a satisfying electronic sound.

……

"Done."

Jiang Li took a bite of the pizza, feeling the hot, metallic texture in his mouth.

"It's a bit tough, but very chewy."

He walked up to the Lord of the Forge.

"Since you ate my pizza..."

"Then we're dining buddies."

"There's something I need to discuss with you."

The Forge Lord is very obedient now (mainly because he wants to eat a second piece).

"Say...it's an outsider..."

"As long as there's... pizza..."

"My Tree Spirit".

Jiang Li pointed to the ark moored in the distance.

"Its power unit is a bit old."

"I want to borrow your... [Primordial Fire]."

"Give it a... [heart transplant]."

"By the way..."

"You look quite sturdy."

"Should we consider it...?"

"Want to come with us?"

"To build... a boiler room for a real Transformers battleship?"

……

The Forge Lord remained silent.

It glanced at the lifeless wasteland around it.

She glanced again at the still-steaming pizza in Jiang Li's hand.

Here, he's just a foreman who burns garbage.

Follow this cook...

It seems like you can bake even more delicious things?

and……

It looked at Alice beside it (who had evolved into a liquid metal life form).

It envied the superior aura emanating from that other creature.

"I...am willing."

The Forge Lord lowered his head.

"As long as... meals are provided."

……

"make a deal!"

Jiang Li snapped his fingers.

"Alice! Prepare for surgery!"

"Disassemble the core module of the Forge Lord!"

"Connect to the Treant's power system!"

"Ergou! Go pack up the rest of the pizzas!"

"We still have a long way to go!"

……

Two hours later.

The Tree Spirit (World Tree Ark) takes off again.

This time, its form has undergone a complete transformation.

At its base, there is now a huge [Heart of the Furnace] burning with golden flames.

That was the power source for the Forge Lord's incarnation.

The surface of the ark was covered with a thick layer of dark red [Lava Armor].

Its power output has increased tenfold!

It's no longer burning oil, but directly... burning nuclear fusion.

"boom----!!!"

The ark spewed out a golden tail flame that stretched for a kilometer.

It instantly broke through the atmosphere of the world of casting.

Flying towards the deepest part of this universe—the Martian Cathedral, the headquarters of the Cult of the Machine God.

There.

There is a being who calls himself the "God of All Machines".

They are waiting for them.

And in the cockpit.

Sun Wukong touched his slightly hot stomach (because he had eaten too much molten steel).

"cook."

"What should we eat next?"

"I think... this world of iron is a bit too hard."

"But it is indeed... quite filling."

Jiang Li looked at the huge gear-shaped planet on the star map ahead.

He smiled.

"Next stop..."

"Let's go eat... [chips]."

"That's the brain flower of the mechanical world."