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

North Africa, deep in the Sahara Desert.

Under the blazing sun, the golden sands twisted and distorted under the intense heat, and the air was thick with suffocating heat. The surface temperature here reaches as high as 70 degrees Celsius, enough to fry an egg, making it a true no-man's-land.

However, right above this sea of ​​death, a huge black ancient ship was casting a large shadow as it slowly glided along.

【Black Pearl - Desert Flying Boat Edition】.

Since they could go to the moon, going to a desert was a piece of cake. Jiang Li simply had Liu Wei adjust the parameters of the gravity stone at the bottom of the ship and add a few high-powered "blowers" (wind element turbines), and the ghost ship became a hovercraft, "floating" over the sand dunes.

"Hot! It's fucking hot!"

On the deck, Wang Ergou, wearing shorts, was fanning himself frantically with a palm-leaf fan, his tongue lolling out longer than a dog's.

"Boss, do we really have to come to this godforsaken place? What good food can you find in this sand? It's all scorpions and rattlesnakes, and those things have little meat and are poisonous."

"What do you know?"

Jiang Li, wearing sunglasses, lay on a beach chair under a parasol, holding an iced coconut in his hand (a mutated coconut he brought from Deep Blue Farm, the water inside tasted like iced cola).

"What's wrong with scorpions? Deep-fried scorpions are a famous dish! Crispy and crunchy! And rattlesnakes, they're the main ingredient in Dragon and Phoenix Soup!"

"and……"

Jiang Li sat up and pointed to the seemingly endless sea of ​​sand in front of him.

"According to the Necronomicon (a copy contributed by Professor Miller), there is a Nameless City buried beneath this desert."

"It is said that a kind of upright-walking 'giant lizard' lives there, with a highly developed civilization, and... its meat is extremely delicious (this is Jiang Li's own imagination)."

"Big Lizard?"

Lei Meng, wiping his cleaver, said in a muffled voice, "Boss, is that a crocodile? Or a Komodo dragon? Those things have thick skin and tough flesh, they're not good for stewing."

"It's okay, we brought a pressure cooker this time."

Jiang Li said confidently, "As long as it's meat, there's no meat I can't stew until it's tender!"

As they were talking, the [Mi-Go Brain] responsible for navigation suddenly sounded an alarm.

"Buzz... Strong magnetic field anomaly detected... Huge underground cavity below... Coordinates confirmed... Entrance to the Nameless City!"

"arrive!"

Jiang Li's spirits lifted. "Land! Prepare to begin!"

"boom--"

The Black Pearl spewed out a reverse airflow, stirring up a cloud of yellow sand, and came to a steady stop in front of an ancient ruin that was half-buried by the sandstorm.

……

The group jumped off the boat and stepped onto the scorching sand.

The ruins before us appear extremely ancient and eerie.

The ruins were not made of ordinary stone, but of an unknown black rock that emitted a faint radiation. The buildings were also very low, with door frames and corridors designed to be exceptionally low, as if the owner of these buildings was not human, but some kind of creature that could only crawl on the ground.

"Why is this door so low? Is it for hobbits?"

Jiang Li had to bend over to squeeze in. "This design is so inhumane, thumbs down!"

"Boss, be careful."

Liu Wei walked ahead with the detector, saying, "The radiation levels here are a bit high, and... there's a strange chemical smell in the air."

"A chemical smell? That must be from preservatives."

Jiang Li didn't take it seriously. "There are bound to be a lot of mummies in these ancient tombs, so it's normal for them to have a bit of a smell."

The group followed the low-ceilinged corridor deep underground.

The deeper you go, the stronger the sense of oppression becomes. Some eerie murals begin to appear on the walls.

The painting doesn't depict humans, but rather creatures with crocodile heads, scaly bodies, and trailing tails. They are building cities, researching alchemy, and even... dissecting humans.

【Serpent Men】

This is a famous ancient race from the Cthulhu Mythos, created by the serpent god Yig. They possess extremely high intelligence and terrifying advanced technology. They once ruled the Earth, but later declined and went into hibernation underground.

"Wow, this mural is quite realistic."

Jiang Li looked at the "giant lizard" on the wall and commented on it.

"Look at those leg muscles, the lines are so smooth! This is clearly a 'free-range chicken' that exercises regularly... no, it's a 'free-range lizard'!"

"That tail is thick and strong; it would be absolutely amazing braised!"

The more he looked, the hungrier he became.

"Hey Rhubarb! Smell this! See where these guys are hiding? Are they extinct? Then I've come all this way for nothing!"

"Woof!" (Over there! Such a strong fishy smell!)

Big Yellow sniffed and led the group into a huge underground plaza.

……

In the center of the square stands a huge altar.

Around the altar, hundreds of crystal capsules, resembling coffins, were neatly arranged.

On the altar, a tall figure dressed in an ancient priest's robe and holding a serpentine scepter stood with his back to them, seemingly performing some kind of ritual.

"Oh? Someone's here?"

Jiang Li called out, "Hey! You in pajamas up ahead! Can I ask for directions? How do I get to the 'giant lizard' wholesale market?"

The figure slowly turned around.

At that moment, everyone except Jiang Li and Da Huang gasped.

That's not human at all!

It was a snake's face covered with fine scales, with no nose, only two holes, a mouth split to the ears, and a forked tongue sticking out!

Its eyes are yellow, vertical pupils, cold and ruthless, filled with contempt for lower creatures.

【Sarth, the Serpent High Priest】(A+ rank).

It is the awakener of this city, attempting to revive the sleeping race and restore the glory of the Serpent Empire.

"Hiss..."

Sass flicked his tongue, making a sound that sent chills down your spine.

"Mammals...filthy apes...daring to trespass into the great ruins of Valusia..."

"Your flesh and blood... will become the sacrifice to awaken our people..."

Speak like a human being!

Jiang Li interrupted it, "Hissing and gurgling, are you deflated?"

He looked at the "half-human, half-snake" monster, but instead of being afraid, he showed a look of disappointment.

"Turns out it's a snake spirit? I thought it was a giant lizard."

"This thing is skinny, there's hardly any meat on it except for its tail."

Jiang Li shook his head. "But since we're already here, we can't leave empty-handed. Snake soup is actually quite good; it helps to cool you down."

"Snake soup?!"

Sass was furious.

It understood! This lowly ape actually wanted to eat it?!

"You're asking for death! Feel the wrath of alchemy!"

Sass brandished his scepter and chanted incantations.

"Boom!"

The hundreds of crystal capsules around them suddenly opened.

One by one, the [Snake Warriors] who had been asleep for millions of years have awakened!

They crawled out of the coffins, their bodies shriveled but their eyes bloodshot, and they held high-tech energy weapons (similar to laser guns and electric spears).

"Hiss! Hiss!" (Kill! Kill all the intruders!)

Hundreds of snake-man warriors surged in like a tide.

"Holy crap! It's come back to life!"

Wang Ergou, terrified, hid behind Lei Meng. "Boss! There are way too many of them! And they're armed!"

"What's there to be afraid of with guns? We have a barbecue grill!"

Jiang Li remained completely calm.

He pulled out that... [Mi-Gor Plasma Net Launcher] (electric mosquito swatter) from behind his back.

"Perfect! I was wondering how to catch them all, now they're all awake, saving me the trouble of prying open their coffins one by one!"

"Guys! Get ready to work! Tonight we're having a 'desert barbecue festival' right here!"

"Big Yellow! Go bite that one with the stick (the priest)! He looks the oldest, and his meat is the toughest; save him for soup!"

"Lei Meng! Liu Wei! Set up the pot! Start the fire! Prepare the cumin!"

"Yes, boss!"

Deep Blue Aquatic's "bully gang" instantly went into battle mode.

"Zzzzzzz—!!!"

The snake-men warriors pulled the triggers, and beams of green energy shot toward Jiang Li.

"A trivial skill!"

Jiang Li picked up an electric mosquito swatter to block it.

"Crackling and popping!"

The energy beams were actually absorbed by the power grid, which made the electric mosquito swatter even brighter.

"A rebound!"

Jiang Li swung his paddle, and a huge electric net covered the area.

"Ah—hiss—"

The dozen or so snake-men at the front were instantly electrocuted, their bodies convulsing and black smoke billowing out, along with the aroma of roasted meat (though slightly burnt).

"It smells so good!"

Lei Meng's eyes turned green when he smelled the odor.

He carried the black pot on his back and charged into the monster horde, carrying one on his back with a knife, specifically targeting the snake-men on the back of the head.

"This fat one! We'll keep it to make snake cutlets!"

"This one's too skinny, make it into snake jerky!"

Big Yellow was even more ferocious; it traveled through time and space, appearing behind Priestess Sass and biting his tail.

"Crack!"

"Awooo—!!!"

Sass let out a scream as the tip of its tail was bitten off!

"Damn beast!"

Sass turned around to cast a spell, only to find that his magic was ineffective in this space.

It looked at Jiang Li in terror.

That man exuded an absolute rule that could suppress all "mystery"!

【The God of Cookery's Domain】(In this domain, all non-food creatures will be forcibly classified as food and will lose their extraordinary resistance).

"How is this possible... What kind of divine power is this?!"

Sass has collapsed.

Its alchemy and its magic were like child's play in front of this man.

Less than ten minutes.

Hundreds of elite snake-man warriors were all knocked down, tied up like dumplings, and piled up in the center of the square.

"Phew... Warm-up over."

Jiang Li wiped his sweat, looked at the "harvest" on the ground, and nodded in satisfaction.

"This snake-man looks scary, but he's just all show and no substance."

He walked up to Sass, who had already been pinned to the ground by Da Huang, and whose scepter had been picked up by Liu Wei (who took it back to use as a fire poker).

"Tell me, besides you little snakes, are there any other big guys underground?"

Jiang Li squatted down and patted Sass's face with the butcher knife.

"Ideally, it should be... meaty, with few bones, and without needing to be skinned."

Sass looked at the knife stained with the blood of his people and said, trembling:

"A demon...you are a demon..."

"Stop talking nonsense! I'm asking if you have any in stock!"

"Yes...yes..."

A wicked glint flashed in Sass's eyes.

Since you want to eat, then eat your fill! You'll stuff yourself to death!

"In...in the deepest part of the ruins...seals our guardian deity...the King of the [Chthonian] burrowing worms..."

"Its flesh...is so much...so much..."

"A burrowing worm?"

Jiang Li touched his chin.

"Does the name sound like a big, fleshy worm?"

The image that flashed through his mind was... huge, fat, and full of protein.

"You mean...that kind that looks like a magnified version of...pig intestines? Or...enoki mushrooms?"

Sass: "..."

It cannot comprehend this human brain circuitry.

That's a terrifying ancient god's offspring capable of causing massive earthquakes and devouring rocks! And you call it pig intestines?!

"Yes...yes...that kind of thing..." Sass gritted his teeth.

"Very good!"

Jiang Li slapped his thigh. "I love grilled pork intestines! Especially the kind with a slightly charred aroma!"

"Lead the way! I need to go buy some goods!"

……

The group escorted Sassin deeper underground.

As you walk through the corridors, the temperature rises and the air is filled with the smell of sulfur.

Finally, they arrived at a huge underground lava lake.

In the center of the lake, there is a huge island.

There were no palaces on the island, only a bottomless hole.

"Right...down there..." Sass pointed to the cave entrance.

"Boom!"

Before the words were even finished, the entire underground cavern began to shake violently.

The lava churned, and countless rocks fell.

A terrifying aura from the ancient wilderness surged forth from that large hole.

"Awooo—!!!"

Accompanied by a muffled roar.

A gigantic, dark red, ring-shaped creature covered in countless tentacles and suckers emerged from the hole!

It's too big!

The part protruding above ground is hundreds of meters high and as thick as a skyscraper. Its head is not a typical mouth, but rather rings of constantly writhing tentacles, with a black hole-like mouth in the center spewing out high-temperature magma.

[The offspring of the giant burrowing worm, Shude Meier] (Rank S).

It can move freely through the Earth's crust, controlling magma and earthquakes, making it a true underground overlord!

"Hahaha! You're all dead!"

Sass laughed maniacally, "This is a guardian spirit! It will devour you all! Not even a bone fragment will be left!"

Wang Ergou, Liu Wei, and the others retreated in fear. This thing was incredibly oppressive, even more terrifying than the dragon they had encountered before! It looked absolutely disgusting!

however.

Jiang Li stood by the lava lake, watching the giant insect spewing lava into the sky.

His expression changed from surprise to... ecstasy.

Holy crap!!!

Jiang Li pointed at the demonic insect, his voice cracking with excitement.

"This...this is...this is the legendary..."

"A super-sized, absolutely enormous grilled gluten?!"

Through his filter, the segmented, wriggling worm looked exactly like a giant gluten bar that had just been grilled, was still sizzling with oil, and was covered in chili powder!

Or... an extra-large grilled sausage!

"This design! This color! This popularity!"

"It's practically made for barbecues!"

Jiang Li wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Lei Meng! Don't just stand there! Quickly bring over that biggest grill (the keel frame of the Black Pearl)!"

"Rhubarb! Get the skewers ready (the fragments of the Pillar of Stars)! I'm going to skewer them and grill them!"

Sass: "..."

The burrowing worm: "???"

It was originally displaying its divine power, preparing to scare these insects to death.

Then I looked down and saw...

That tiny human was staring at it with... the look one might give when eyeing food?

Those eyes were filled with kindness, expectation, and...hunger.

"Roar—!!!" (I am a god! Not gluten!)

The demonic insect was enraged.

It suddenly swooped down, opening its enormous maw, wide enough to swallow lava, trying to devour Jiang Li whole.

"Well done!"

Jiang Li did not retreat but advanced.

He pulled out the huge "immortal shinbone" (leftover from the soup) from behind and used it as a rolling pin.

"Get down...!"

Jiang Li leaped high into the air and slammed his stick into the demonic insect's forehead.

"when--!!!"

A loud bang.

The demon insect's indestructible carapace (rock skin) was actually cracked by this blow!

The immense impact left it disoriented, and its massive body slammed heavily against the edge of the lava lake.

"While it's hot, brush on the oil!"

Jiang Li shouted.

"Lei Meng! Apply oil!"

"Okay!"

Although Lei Meng was scared, his professional instincts made him instinctively pick up a bucket of deep-sea fish oil and pour it on the demonic insects.

"Sprinkle the ingredients!"

Liu Wei took two large bags of cumin powder and sprinkled it over like pesticide.

"Rhubarb! Light it!"

Big Yellow opened its mouth and spewed out a mouthful of blue flame imbued with the power of time and space.

"boom!!!"

Flames rose.

The demonic insect instantly burst into flames, filling the air with the aroma of cumin and meat (actually, the smell of burnt rocks).

"Awooo—!!!"

The demonic insect writhed in the sea of ​​fire, feeling as if it were about to be cooked!

"Flip it over! Flip it over! Don't burn it!"

Jiang Li, wielding a large stick, directed Da Huang and his followers to treat this S-class monster like a whole roasted lamb, rolling it back and forth by the lava lake.

……

One hour later.

The battle is over.

A gigantic, enticing (and eerie) aroma of roasted gluten lay quietly on the ground.

Jiang Li stood on it, cut off a piece of meat, and tasted it.

"Hmm... a bit old, a bit hard to chew, like eating a rock."

He was somewhat disappointed.

"But the chewiness is alright, it's suitable as a snack with drinks, and good for chewing your teeth."

He turned to look at Sass, who had been completely petrified.

"Hey, Old Snake, any other stuff? This is too hard, it's not tasty."

Sass's eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and he completely lost consciousness.

Its worldview collapsed.

……

Deep Blue Aquatic Products returned from this desert trip with a full load once again.

Not only did they bring back hundreds of "snake-men cured meat", they also brought back a giant "roasted gluten" (the corpse of a burrowing worm).

Jiang Li cut the demonic insect into pieces and transported it back to Jianghai City.

Deep Blue Seafood Restaurant has launched a new product – [Hellfire Grilled Pork Intestines].

GG's words: [Greetings from the Earth's core! Hardcore food! Those with weak teeth should proceed with caution! One bite, and you'll get calcium, iron, and kidney boost!]

Although some complained that it tasted like chewing granite, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the awakened ones.

Because this thing contains a huge amount of earth element energy, your defense will skyrocket after you eat it!

Jiang Li sat in his office, watching his account balance double again, and smiled with satisfaction.

"It seems that wild game on land is quite good."

"Next..."

His gaze fell upon the gloomy sky outside the window.

"Should we go up to the sky and take a look?"

"I've heard there's a 'Sky City' deep in the clouds? And it seems a group of winged bird-people live there?"

"Grilled chicken wings...they must be delicious, right?"