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

Chapter 72 Who says only pies fall from the sky? They're dropping donkey meat sandwiches too!

The nights in the Sahara are so cold it's almost a joke. During the day, it can be as hot as 70 degrees Celsius, hot enough to fry an egg, but as soon as the sun goes down, the temperature plummets to below zero.

But this was not a problem at all for the people on board the Black Pearl.

On the deck, the giant grill that had just finished grilling "Hell Rock Grilled Intestines" (burrowing worms) was still warm, and the air was filled with a strong aroma of cumin and burnt rocks.

Jiang Li was sitting at the bow of the boat, holding a [Demon Insect Tentacle] as thick as a sugarcane in his hand, munching on it while looking at the dazzling starry sky above.

"This worm meat is indeed chewy, but it's a bit tough on the teeth."

Jiang Li's cheeks ached from chewing. The density of this S-class monster's flesh was comparable to high-strength rubber, and each bite required the use of the power of the rules to bite through it.

"Boss, are we really going to the sky next?"

Liu Wei was wrapped in a fur robe he had taken from the Snake Man ruins, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, his eyes gazing at the sky with a somewhat unfocused expression.

"Nonsense, we've eaten most of the wild game on the ground, so where else would we look but upwards?"

Jiang Li swallowed the dried meat in his hand and clapped his hands.

"Brainy, have you set the coordinates yet?"

The [Mi-Go Brain] (full name: Research Director of Yugos Star No. 749 and Deep Blue Aquatic Navigator), which was placed on the control panel in the captain's cabin, emitted a buzzing electrical sound.

"Reporting to the boss... According to data from the Global Psionic Monitoring Network (originally used to monitor human nuclear arsenals), there is a huge stable cyclone over 30 degrees south latitude and 50 degrees west longitude, above the famous 'Cape Storm'."

"Within that cyclone... there is a hidden, extremely stable subspace entrance, with an energy reaction level of S."

"and……"

My brain paused for a moment, as if I was organizing my thoughts.

"According to the sound wave analysis, a mixed sound, similar to a horse's neigh and a bird's chirp, was coming from there."

"A horse neighing?"

Jiang Li's eyes instantly lit up like searchlights.

As the saying goes, "Dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth."

He'd already eaten dragon meat (although that Nidhogg clone was an aquatic dragon), but he hadn't yet found any donkey meat.

"Horses and donkeys are related! Since there's a horse neighing, it must be a celestial horse! Or a flying donkey!"

Jiang Li's logic is always so impeccable.

"A flying donkey meat sandwich... If we caught one, wouldn't it smell amazing?"

He suddenly stood up and waved his hand.

"Men! Wake up! Weigh anchor! Take off!"

"Target—Stormhorn! Let's go capture Pegasus!"

……

The Black Pearl restarted.

This time, instead of flying close to the ground, it directly increased its altitude.

With the anti-gravity array at its hull operating at full power, coupled with the blue plasma flames ejected from its stern, this ghost ship, weighing several thousand tons, resembled a giant black rocket, piercing the desert night sky and soaring into the heavens.

Passing through the troposphere, crossing the stratosphere.

The surrounding scenery began to become both dreamlike and deadly.

Huge cloud-covered mountains rise and fall beneath our feet, moonlight spilling across the sea of clouds, shimmering with silvery waves. But beneath this beautiful facade lies thin air and a temperature of minus fifty degrees Celsius.

Fortunately, the Black Pearl has a bio-field shield, so the interior remains warm and comfortable.

"Boss! Target cyclone spotted ahead!"

Inside the driver's cab, Wang Ergou pointed at the radar screen and shouted.

Looking through the porthole, one could see a gray wall of wind rising from the distant sea of clouds, connecting heaven and earth. It was the eye of a super hurricane, more than 100 kilometers in diameter, with violent air currents tearing through it and purple lightning occasionally streaking across the sky.

"What a huge cotton candy machine!"

Jiang Li looked at the vortex and gave a unique assessment.

"Charge in!"

"boom--!!!"

The Black Pearl plunged headlong into the storm.

The violent turbulence caused the pots and pans in the cabin to clang and rattle, but the ship's structure was exceptionally sturdy (after all, the keel had been replaced with a real one), and it withstood the turbulence that was strong enough to tear an airplane apart.

After passing through the storm wall, the view suddenly opened up before us.

Surprisingly, at the eye of the storm was a peaceful and tranquil place.

Countless floating islands of varying sizes drift here.

These islands are not made of rock, but of some kind of solidified, luminous cloud-like substance, covered with strange white plants, and palaces and towers built of a material like white marble.

【Temple of the Wind - Nest of the Shatak Bird】.

"Wow! A castle in the sky!"

Lei Meng, peering out the window, was dumbfounded. "This is even more spectacular than in the movies!"

"Stop looking at the scenery, find the meat!"

Jiang Li, holding binoculars, searched around.

Soon, his gaze settled on the largest floating island.

A group of enormous creatures dwelled there.

They have heads like horses, but their bodies are covered with thick scales, they have wings on their backs, and they are even larger than elephants.

【Shantaks】

This is the flying mount of Nyarlathotep, a god from the Cthulhu Mythos. It is fierce and feeds on this creature. It is also said to be a favorite of Ithaca (the Windrunner).

"hiss--"

Jiang Li gasped.

"This...this is what you call a perfect match between your major and your job!"

He put down his binoculars and danced with excitement.

"See that? That long face! Those big front teeth! Even though it has scales, it's definitely a mutated donkey! Or maybe a horse!"

"That physique! All that muscle! If you made donkey meat sandwiches, one would be enough to feed the whole village for three days!"

Liu Wei timidly reminded him from the side, "Boss, that thing looks like it has claws... and those are scales, not fur..."

"What's wrong with the scales? Just scrape them off, fish have scales too!"

Jiang Li was completely deaf to what was being said.

"Prepare for battle! This time we're capturing them alive! I'm going to set up a 'Pegasus Breeding Base' at Deep Blue Farm!"

……

On the floating island.

The flock of shatak birds were leisurely preening their feathers (actually scales), enjoying the tranquility of the high sky.

They are the rulers of the sky, and have virtually no natural enemies here.

Sudden.

"Boom boom boom! The vast horizon is my love—"

A deafening, highly penetrating burst of cheesy, upbeat music shattered the tranquility of the eye of the storm.

All the shatak birds were startled and raised their huge horse heads, looking in confusion at the source of the sound.

A strange black ship, flying a red flag and flashing colorful lights, was swaggering towards them.

At the bow of the ship stood a human, holding a megaphone and speaking:

"Hey! Herd of donkeys ahead! You're surrounded!"

"Men stand on the left! Women stand on the right! Those who are neither male nor female stand in the middle!"

"Those who surrender voluntarily will receive free food and lodging! Those who resist will have an extra dish tonight!"

The Shatak flock: "???"

驴？

They are noble interstellar mounts! Nightmares that strike fear into the hearts of humankind! How dare they be called donkeys?!

"Hercules—!!!"

The largest of the lead birds, the Shatak King (A+ grade), let out an angry screech.

The sound was like both a horse's neigh and a bird's call, carrying a powerful, penetrating spiritual force.

"Men! Tear this wrecked ship to smithereens!"

At the command of the Bird King, hundreds of Shatak birds took flight, darkening the sky, and swooped down on the Black Pearl.

"Great! I love these vibrant ingredients!"

Jiang Li was not surprised but rather pleased.

"Big Yellow! Activate air defense mode!"

"Liu Wei! Power grid ready!"

"Lei Meng! Hold your pot up as a shield!"

"Woof!"

Although Big Yellow can't fly, it can teleport.

With a flash, it appeared directly on the back of a Shatak bird in mid-air.

"Snap!"

He bit down on her neck.

Before the unfortunate "flying donkey" could even scream, it was crushed by the gravitational field on Big Yellow's body, lost its balance, and fell like a stone, crashing heavily onto the deck of the Black Pearl.

"nice shot!"

The deep-sea divers who had been waiting on the deck rushed forward, grabbed specially made ropes (mixed with dragon tendons), and hurriedly tied the big guy up tightly.

Meanwhile, Liu Wei was manipulating the plasma net launcher he had brought back from the desert, and fired a shot at the dense flock of birds.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

A huge blue electric net spread out in the air, instantly trapping more than a dozen shatak birds.

The intense electric current paralyzed them, causing their feathers (scales) to stand up and even giving off a faint burnt smell.

"It's medium-rare! Two more taps and it'll be medium-well!"

Jiang Li stood by, giving instructions with composure.

But the Shatak birds are, after all, an A-level species, unlike the bats from before.

They reacted quickly, using their speed advantage to launch a dive attack, their sharp claws scratching against the Black Pearl's shields with a piercing scraping sound.

"Bang! Bang!"

The shield began to flicker, seemingly unable to hold on any longer.

"Oh? Pretty fierce, huh?"

Jiang Li looked at the bird king that had been giving commands.

"To catch the thief, first catch the king! That's a donkey! Shoot it down!"

He pulled out the "Immortal Shinbone" from behind (to use as a javelin).

"Watch my ultimate move!"

Jiang Li took two steps to run up and then suddenly threw the golden bone, which weighed several thousand kilograms, out.

"boom--"

The golden bone, trailing a golden tail flame, shot towards the Bird King like a missile.

The bird king sensed a deadly threat and tried to escape, but the bone seemed to carry some kind of inescapable causal law.

"Bang!!!"

A muffled thud.

The golden bone struck the bird king squarely on the forehead.

This completely stunned it.

Its massive body swayed twice in the air, its eyes rolled back, and it plummeted straight down.

"Here it is! That's my mount!"

Jiang Li shouted.

Lei Meng, holding the large black pot, steadily caught the falling bird king.

"Bang!"

The bird king crashed into the pot and fainted.

With their leader captured, the remaining Shatak birds were thrown into disarray.

Taking advantage of the situation, Jiang Li launched a massive aerial purge, leading Da Huang and the Deep Ones.

Less than half an hour.

The deck was already piled high with these monsters that looked like both horses and birds.

"What a bumper harvest!"

Jiang Li patted the Bird King's enormous horse-like face.

"That face is really long; it's definitely a genuine donkey."

He turned to look at the palace on the floating island.

"Since we're here, how can we not go inside and take a look? What if they have some local specialties like 'donkey-hide gelatin'?"

……

The Black Pearl is moored beside the floating island.

Jiang Li led the core team into the white marble palace.

The palace was spacious and cold, with strange wind patterns carved everywhere.

At the far end of the main hall, there is a huge altar.

A blue crystal floated above the altar, radiating endless wind elemental energy.

Beneath the crystal sat a figure dressed in a blue robe, whose face was indistinct.

"Has someone else arrived?"

The figure spoke slowly, the voice ethereal, as if coming from all directions.

"I am the messenger of the wind, the guardian of the clouds..."

"Mortals, leave. This is not a place for you."

"Playing tricks."

Jiang Li stepped forward and carefully examined the figure.

"Are you a birdman too?"

He noticed that the figure didn't have wings, but its feet didn't touch the ground; it was constantly floating.

"No, I am the agent of Ithaqua."

The figure said indifferently, "You captured my pet (Shatak bird), and I have been merciful enough not to unleash divine punishment."

"Now, let them go, and then get out of here."

"Release them?"

Jiang Li smiled.

"Once you buy goods from Deep Blue Seafood, there's never a reason to return them."

"Besides, I think your place is quite nice too."

Jiang Li pointed to the blue crystal.

"This rock looks like a giant mint? Or maybe a rock candy?"

"Summer is here, and my shop happens to need a refrigeration unit. I think this thing would be perfect."

【Wind Source Crystal】(S-grade artifact/Wind element core).

This is a magical object that can control the atmosphere and cause hurricanes!

In his eyes, it's just a piece of rock candy?

The agent was furious.

"Arrogant!"

"Since you're courting death, then turn into dust in the wind!"

He waved his hands.

"Storm! Tear them apart!"

A sudden gust of wind swept through the hall, and countless wind blades appeared out of thin air, swirling towards everyone like a meat grinder.

"Boss, watch out!" Wang Ergou was so frightened that he ran away with his head in his hands.

Jiang Li stood motionless in the eye of the storm.

He even reached out and grabbed a handful of wind blades.

"puff!"

The wind blade shattered in his hand, turning into a wisp of breeze.

"this one?"

Jiang Li was somewhat disappointed.

"The wind force is only about the level of a third speed setting on an electric fan."

He pulled the Cauldron of Gluttony from his pocket.

"Little Ding! Time to get to work! Someone's brought a cold wind!"

"Suck it!"

Jiang Li aimed the cauldron at the proxy.

"Buzz—"

The Cauldron of Gluttony emitted a cheerful hum, generating a terrifying suction force.

The cauldron swallowed up all the violent wind blades, air currents, and even the air in the main hall.

"What?!"

The agent was terrified.

He felt his strength rapidly draining away!

"That's... the aura of a gluttonous beast?! No! Even more greedy than a gluttonous beast!"

"What the hell is this thing?!"

"This is a clay pot!"

Jiang Li shouted, "It not only sucks in the air, it sucks in people too!"

"Big Yellow! Close the door! Unleash the dogs!"

Although Dahuang isn't a dog, it understood.

It teleported behind the agent and bit his robe.

"Sizzle!"

The robe was torn, revealing the true face of the proxy.

It was actually a cloud of... a white mist-like creature, like a marshmallow?

"So it was a balloon spirit?"

Jiang Li was even more disappointed.

"This thing has no meat! It's all gas!"

"However... it should feel quite soft."

Jiang Li rushed forward and grabbed the wisp of mist.

"It feels great! Like squeezing a sponge!"

He squeezed hard.

"ah--!!!"

The surrogate let out a scream.

As an elemental being, physical attacks are normally ineffective. But Jiang Li's hand was like an iron clamp, directly locking onto his core.

"Don't kill me! I surrender!"

The proxy chickened out very quickly.

"surrender?"

Jiang Li thought for a moment.

"Alright, I happen to need someone to turn on the air conditioning in my shop."

"From now on, you'll be in charge of cooling down the guests and inflating the balloons!"

"As for this piece of 'rock candy'..."

Jiang Li grabbed the [Origin of Wind Crystal] in one swift motion.

"This is mine! I'll take it back and add some ice to my milk tea!"

……

Back in Jianghai City.

Deep Blue Seafood Restaurant has launched a stunning new product – the "Heavenly Donkey Meat Sandwich".

Although some people questioned whether the meat tasted like chicken, its unique "flying" texture and the effect of making one feel light as a feather still made it highly sought after.

In the corner of the hall, there was a strangely shaped "human-shaped air conditioner" (the agent was stuffed into a fan cover).

His daily job is to blow cold air at the guests.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

The proxy shed tears of regret.

I am the messenger of the wind god! Why have I turned into an electric fan?!

Jiang Li, meanwhile, sat in his office, holding the [Wind Source Crystal] in his hand, watching the clouds drift by outside the window.

"It's in the sea, it's on the land, and it's in the sky."

"Next..."

His gaze became even more profound.

"Should I...go and see it in my dreams?"

"I heard there's a place called 'Dreamland'? It sounds like there's a lot of fun stuff there?"

"For example... a god who looks like a cat?"