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

Jianghai City, Shenlan Seafood Restaurant, third floor, Cat Cafe VIP Room.

The afternoon sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the soft carpet, where hundreds of cats from Uva City lay sprawled out, basking in the sun and enjoying their lunch break as "working cats."

The enormous elder cat was sprawled out in the arms of a wealthy young lady, its eyes half-closed as it enjoyed being scratched on the chin, purring loudly like a tractor. It was living a far more comfortable life now than when it was an elder in Uva City; it had an endless supply of premium canned food and was personally bathed and groomed—it was practically living the pinnacle of feline life.

Meanwhile, in the chairman's office next door, Jiang Li was looking at a newly purchased world map (actually a hand-drawn dream map by Professor Miller) with a headache.

"Sigh, it's getting colder every day."

Jiang Li tightened his windbreaker, looked at the few withered leaves falling outside the window, and sighed.

"Although our DeepBlue Group has a wide range of businesses now, including food, drinks and entertainment, there is still one thing missing."

"What's missing?"

Wang Ergou, who was squatting on the ground grooming Dahuang (to prevent it from bothering the cats), looked up and asked.

"They're short of clothes!"

Jiang Li pointed to the windbreaker he was wearing that he had worn for several years. "Look, our employees' uniforms are still those camouflage and chef's outfits. They're neither fashionable nor warm. Winter is coming soon, so we need to get some high-end winter clothes to improve the company's image."

"Why not just buy a few down jackets?" Liu Wei interjected from the side.

"Tacky! So tacky!"

Jiang Li looked disgusted. "We're from Deep Blue Seafood, how can we wear ordinary clothes? It has to be specialty products! It has to be equipment with attribute bonuses!"

He pointed to the gray area on the map, located in the north and marked with a skull and spider pattern.

【Leng Yuan】.

"I heard this place is famous for a giant purple spider, what's it called... the Cold Plains Spider?"

Jiang Li recalled the information provided by Brain Flower, "The silk spun by this spider is as tough as steel, as thin as gauze, and impervious to water and fire. It's an excellent material for making bulletproof vests... no, for making thermal underwear!"

"Just imagine, if each of us wore a suit made of this spider silk, what would we have to fear from the cold when going down into the deep sea or climbing snow-capped mountains?"

"and……"

Jiang Li licked his lips, his eyes becoming somewhat fiery.

"That spider is so big, its legs must be very fleshy, right? I think its shape is not much different from a king crab, except for the color."

"With its shredded meat and whole shredded ingredients, this 'purple-skinned hairy crab' is practically a treasure trove from head to toe!"

"It's decided! Next stop—Lengyuan! Let's go get some fabric! And while we're at it, let's have a whole crab feast... no, a whole spider feast!"

……

Half an hour later, in front of the teleportation portal in the basement.

"The code name for this operation is: Operation Long Johns."

Jiang Li was fully armed, carrying not only a pig-slaughtering knife but also a huge empty sack (used to hold silk).

"Dahuang, Leimeng, Lao Liu, come with me. Ergou, you stay here and watch the shop, and also take good care of those cat darlings, make sure they don't scratch the customers' faces."

"Yes, boss!"

Jiang Li stepped into the teleportation portal.

Light and shadow shift and change.

When their vision cleared again, they were already standing on the deck of the Black Pearl.

At this moment, the Black Pearl was anchored at the mouth of the Okonos River, a great river in the Dreamland.

"Weigh anchor! Head north! To that chilly plateau!"

At Jiang Li's command, the Black Pearl set sail again, going against the current, passing through the edge of the Enchanted Forest, and heading towards the legendary desolate and terrifying Cold Plains.

As the latitude increases, the surrounding scenery begins to become desolate.

The dense forest had vanished, replaced by gray-brown rocks and low shrubs. The sky had changed from the vibrant colors of the aurora borealis to a somber, leaden gray, and a cold wind howled, carrying with it the icy pebbles.

The temperature dropped sharply.

"Achoo!"

Lei Meng sneezed and tightened his fur coat (which he had stolen from the desert snake people last time).

"Boss, this place is really cold, even more so than the dry cold of Antarctica. This wind feels like it can seep into your bones."

"It's supposed to be cold; how can you get good silk if it's not cold?"

Jiang Li stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the gradually rising highlands ahead.

It was a vast, barren plateau, with only countless huge, strangely shaped stones standing in the wilderness, like silent tombstones.

【Leng Yuan】.

This is one of the most barren and dangerous areas in the Dreamland.

"Stop the boat! There's no waterway ahead, let's walk!"

The Black Pearl stopped at the edge of the plateau.

Jiang Li led everyone off the ship and onto this gray land.

The ground beneath my feet felt hard and cold, as if I were stepping on a sheet of iron.

"Big Yellow, clear the way!"

Rhubarb sniffed. The smell here was mixed, with sulfur, rotten smell, and a kind of... burnt protein smell.

It didn't seem to like the place, letting out a soft whimper, but still faithfully fulfilled its duty as a trailblazer.

After walking for a while, some strange creatures appeared ahead.

They were a group of creatures that looked like humans, but weren't human.

They were short and stout, covered in long hair, with two small horns on their foreheads, hooves on their feet, and large mouths. They looked somewhat like the satyrs (half-goat people) of Western legend, but with a more lewd and ferocious expression.

【Lengyuan people】.

These are the native inhabitants of the Cold Plains, actually a half-human race enslaved by the Moon Beasts.

At this moment, the group of Cold Plains people were gathered together, seemingly warming themselves by a fire. A large pot was placed on the fire, containing chunks of unknown meat.

"Huh? Someone's here?"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up, and he walked over.

"Hey! Fellow villagers! I need to ask you something!"

Upon hearing the sound, the group of people from the Cold Plains turned their heads sharply.

When they saw Jiang Li and his group, a greedy red glint flashed in their eyes.

"Meat...the delicate-skinned outsider..."

One of the leaders, a man from the Cold Plains, raised his stone axe and charged forward with a strange cry.

"Is this how you treat your guests?"

Jiang Li frowned. "He looks like a sentient winter melon, and he has quite a temper?"

He dodged the stone axe by sidestepping it and tripped it with his foot.

"Thump!"

The man from Lengyuan fell flat on his face, knocking out two of his front teeth.

"Lei Meng! Teach them a lesson!"

"Okay!"

Lei Meng swung his big black pot and charged into the crowd, slapping one pot at a time, leaving the group of locals, who only had brute force and no skill, completely bewildered.

In less than two minutes, more than a dozen people from Lengyuan were squatting on the ground with bruises and swelling on their faces, covering their heads with their hands.

"Tell me! Where are all the spiders around here?"

Jiang Li stepped on the leader of the "winter melons" and asked.

"Spider...?"

The leader of the Cold Plains people trembled with fear, "That...that's a demon...in the valley...they eat people..."

"Eating people? That's because they haven't met me yet."

Jiang Li snorted. "Lead the way! Go find those giant spiders! I need to talk to them about the textile factory cooperation project!"

Although the leader of the Lengyuan people didn't understand what a textile factory was, he could tell how sharp the butcher knife in Jiang Li's hand was.

"I...I'll lead the way..."

……

Led by the guide from the remote region, the group arrived at the entrance to a huge canyon.

Even before entering, one can see that the rock walls on both sides of the canyon are covered with thick white netting. This netting trembles slightly in the cold wind, and is exceptionally tough. Some of it even has dried carcasses of prey hanging on it.

"This is it!"

Jiang Li stepped forward and reached out to tug at a spider silk thread that was hanging down.

"Bang! Bang!"

The spider silk emitted a sound like harp strings, and surprisingly, it didn't break.

"This is good stuff!"

Jiang Li pulled hard and felt that it was even more resilient than steel wire, and it felt smooth to the touch with a slight warmth.

"If this were knitted into a sweater, it would be both lightweight and warm—it's definitely a cutting-edge fabric!"

He became even more determined to turn this place into a raw material base.

"Big Yellow! Go in and knock on the door!"

"Woof!"

Big Yellow barked wildly into the depths of the canyon.

The sound waves echoed within the canyon.

Immediately afterwards, a dense rustling sound of crawling came from all directions.

"Snap! Snap!"

Huge, purple figures crawled out from the crevices in the rocks, the caves, and behind the nets.

They were about the size of a small car, with an eerie purplish-black body covered in bristles, and eight long legs as sharp as spears. Their bellies were swollen and covered with strange human face patterns.

Leng Spiders.

This is one of the deadliest predators in the Dreamland, possessing extremely high intelligence and even understanding tactical coordination.

At this moment, over a hundred Cold Plains Spiders surrounded Jiang Li and the others.

Countless compound eyes gleamed with a cold, icy light, and its mouthparts opened and closed, dripping purple venom.

The Lengyuan man who was leading the way was already terrified and curled up in a ball, pretending to be dead.

Liu Wei swallowed hard and gripped the plasma gun tightly.

"Boss... isn't this spider a bit too big? Is it even a spider? It's more like a crab that's come to life!"

You're right!

Jiang Li looked at those long, waving legs, but her eyes were filled with surprise.

"Look at those legs! So long! So straight! The flesh inside must be all garlic cloves!"

"And that belly (abdomen), so round and plump, it must be full of... uh, full of silk sacs! It's a production workshop!"

In his eyes, this wasn't a monster encirclement; it was more like walking into a seafood buffet restaurant and a textile raw material warehouse.

"Squeak squeak squeak—" (Intruder! Food!)

The largest spider queen, the leader, let out a sharp hiss.

All the spiders simultaneously sprayed out white webs, covering the crowd from top to bottom.

"Get started! Don't damage the silk sac!"

Jiang Li shouted and charged towards the net with lightning speed.

The butcher's knife drew black arcs in the air.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Those incredibly tough spider webs were as fragile as cotton candy under Jiang Li's blade, instantly shredded.

Jiang Li rushed to the Spider Queen.

"You're such a big guy, you must be the factory manager?"

He stepped onto a rock, used the momentum to leap high into the air, and slapped the Spider Queen on the forehead with the back of his knife.

"when!"

The spider queen's carapace was as hard as iron, and the impact made Jiang Li's hand go numb.

"Oh, you're pretty stubborn, aren't you?"

Enraged, the Spider Queen crossed her two front legs like scythes and slashed at Jiang Li's waist.

"Trying to outsmart me with knife skills? You're still too green!"

Jiang Li twisted his body strangely in mid-air, dodging the attack, and landed on the Spider Queen's back.

"Get down on your knees!"

He gripped the two bristles on the spider queen's back with both hands, and like riding a horse, he unleashed his full strength and pressed down hard.

[A thousand-pound weight!]

"boom!"

The Spider Queen's several-ton body couldn't withstand this monstrous force; her eight legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, creating a large crater.

"squeak--!!!"

The Spider Queen struggled desperately, but under Jiang Li's suppression, it was like a monkey trapped under the Five Finger Mountain, unable to move.

Seeing their leader captured, the other spiders immediately tried to surround and rescue him.

"Who dares to move?!"

Lei Meng held up the black pot, while Da Huang bared its teeth, blocking Jiang Li's path.

"If you move again, I'll rip your boss's legs off and roast them!"

Jiang Li held the knife and gestured across the Spider Queen's long legs, clearly intending to dismember her.

The Spider Queen sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the knife, a aura specifically designed to target food, and immediately signaled her surrender.

"Squeak squeak..." (Don't kill me... I give up...)

All the spiders stopped what they were doing and lay down on the ground in submission.

"That's right, we're all just trying to make a living, why fight and kill each other?"

Jiang Li patted the Spider Queen's head and jumped off its back.

"Since you've agreed, let's talk about cooperation."

He pointed to the spider webs in the canyon.

"I think your textile technology is quite good. From now on, you can spin silk specifically for me. I want to make clothes, clothes that are both good-looking and bulletproof."

"As long as you deliver the goods on time, I guarantee I won't eat your... core members."

Jiang Li added, "Of course, for the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, or those who have been injured in accidents (referring to those with broken legs), we still need to adhere to the principle of not wasting food and process them in an environmentally friendly way (cook them).

Spider Queen: "..."

It understood.

This is turning it into a full-time textile factory worker! And they're even using its offspring as food reserves!

What kind of demonic contract is this?!

But looking at the gleaming butcher knife, it could only nod with tears in its eyes.

"Excellent! Very conscientious!"

Jiang Li was satisfied.

"Now, collect all these old nets and take them with you!"

"Lei Meng, go find a few with long legs and lots of meat, let's try it out first!"

……

Just as Jiang Li was busy establishing the "First Textile Factory" in Lengyuan.

Deep within the canyon, in a black castle hidden in the mist.

Several figures dressed in silk robes and wearing golden masks were watching all of this.

They are neither people from the Cold Plains nor spiders.

Their skin was as pale as paper, they had no noses, and their foreheads were broad.

【Moon-Beasts】

These slave owners from the moon established a vast stronghold in the cold plains, controlling the local inhabitants and trade.

"That Earthling... actually tamed a swarm of spiders?"

The leading moon beast overseer spoke in a hoarse voice.

"That's a ferocious beast that we haven't been able to completely tame even after hundreds of years!"

"There's something strange about the knife in his hand."

Another moon beast whispered, "And... don't you think he looks familiar?"

"look familiar?"

The warlord looked at it carefully, then suddenly remembered something and shuddered.

"It's him! That devil who indiscriminately captured our fellow human beings on the moon, treating us like rabbits!"

"He actually tracked me all the way here?!"

Fear spread through their hearts.

"Quickly! Seal off the castle! Don't let him find out we're here!"

"We absolutely cannot let him know we have a ruby ​​mine here! Otherwise, he'll definitely dig this place out too!"

however.

What you fear most is what happens.

Jiang Li, who was directing Da Huang to move the spider silk, suddenly twitched his nose.

"Hmm? Why does this wind smell like... seafood?"

He turned to look at the ancient castle deep in the canyon.

"And...it also seems to have a metallic, jewel-like smell?"

Jiang Li's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Big Yellow, it looks like we've got some extra goodies."

"Let's go visit that castle over there! See if they have any local specialties!"

The moon beasts in the castle: "..."

It’s over.

A jinx has arrived.

……

Half an hour later.

The castle gates were violently kicked open.

"Fellow villager! Open the door! The community is here to bring you warmth!"

Jiang Li walked in with a smile, carrying a pig-slaughtering knife.

Looking at the trembling moon beasts filling the room, he smiled with relief.

"Oh, it's an old acquaintance! Isn't this the Moon Rabbit?"

"Perfect timing! I'm running low on mooncake filling; are you here to resupply?"

The Moon Beast Overseer knelt down with a thud and presented a box of rubies.

"This is money to buy my life! Please spare me!"

"I want the money, and I want the meat too."

Jiang Li didn't mince words, "Adults don't make choices!"

……

During his trip to the Cold Plains, Jiang Li not only secured the raw materials for winter clothing (spider silk), but also took over a branch base of the Moon Beasts, bringing back several large boxes of rubies and tens of tons of "Moon Rabbit meat".

After returning to Jianghai City.

Under the DeepBlue Group, a high-end clothing brand called DeepBlue Weaving has emerged.

Main product: [Spider silk thermal underwear].

GG's words: [Wear this, and you won't be afraid to run naked in Antarctica! Invulnerable to swords and spears, impervious to water and fire! You are the wind, I am the sand, wearing this divine garment, we'll roam the world!]

Price: 99999 yuan/set.

The supply still cannot meet the demand.

On the tables at the seafood restaurant, a new main dish has been added – Spicy Purple Crab Legs (grilled spider legs).

Diners, wearing bulletproof thermal underwear, gnawed on spider legs thicker than their arms, exclaiming how satisfying it was.

Looking at this magnificent scene, Jiang Li felt that he was one step closer to his goal of becoming the "world's richest man".

"Seafood, farms, clothing... the industrial chain is becoming more and more complete."

He looked out the window. "Shouldn't we get some... transportation next?"

"I heard that 'Starry Night' can be used as spaceship fuel? Maybe... I should catch a few to use as batteries?"