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

Dreamland, on the ruins of Delas-Lin Port.

The first rays of dawn pierced through the perpetually hazy sky, illuminating this port city that had just experienced a catastrophe... or rather, a "grand barbecue party".

The once magnificent Obsidian Grand Theatre is now reduced to a few broken stone pillars, still emitting wisps of black smoke. The unique aroma in the air, a mixture of cumin, moon beast meat, and charcoal, lingers, making even the seagulls (if they are seagulls) that have risen early to forage for food circle in the air, their mouths watering.

On the dock, the glittering, jewel-encrusted, and neon-lit ship, the "Golden Black Pearl," resembled a fat man who had just overeaten, lazily moored at the shore.

The crew members were busy loading last night's "spoils" onto the ship.

"One, two, three! Go!"

Lei Meng and several Deep Ones worked together to carry a huge chest filled with rubies and some unknown spices plundered from the Moon Beast merchant ships.

"Be gentle! There are a few live 'Moon Rabbits' (moon beast cubs) in that box. The boss said he's taking them home to raise as pets, so don't crush them!"

Wang Ergou held the ledger tablet in his hand, giving instructions and taking notes at the same time, his mouth practically stretched to his ears in a wide grin.

"This trip was incredibly profitable... Just these gems alone will be enough to triple the size of Deep Blue Plaza! We'll buy the whole street and turn it into 'Deep Blue Food Street'!"

Inside the captain's cabin, Jiang Li was conducting a solemn and sacred ceremony.

He cleaned the huge mahogany desk, then carefully took out the three treasures he had painstakingly collected from his pocket.

The first item was the [Dragon King's Eye], which he had taken from the Dragon Palace in the deep sea. It was a huge crystal ball, seemingly containing stars and the sea inside. Jiang Li turned it upside down and placed it on a base, making it look exactly like a crystal-clear "bowl".

The second item is the Key of Bones, which was unearthed from the treasury of Atlantis. This thing was made from the bone of some indescribable ancient god, with sharp edges and a flat, slender shape. At this moment, Jiang Li placed it on the right side of the "bowl," and it looked like a crudely made but very high-quality "dining knife."

The third item, the Silver Spoon, was something he had just received last night and hadn't even had a chance to warm up yet. This artifact, shimmering with a liquid-like luster and imbued with the power of space and time, was currently placed to the left of the "bowl" by Jiang Li. Just as he had expected, the head of this thing was slightly concave, making it look exactly like a "spoon."

"Bowl, knife, spoon."

Jiang Li looked at the neatly arranged "three-piece set" on the table, nodded in satisfaction, and even took out a napkin to wipe his hands with a sense of ceremony.

"This isn't some key to unlocking the door to truth; it's clearly a 'cosmic rice bowl set'!"

"I knew it! Those ancient gods were all so fat, they must have been gluttons. The legacy they left behind must also be related to food."

As if in response to Jiang Li's guess, the moment these three divine artifacts were placed together—

"Buzz—!!!"

A strange fluctuation suddenly erupted.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor a beam of light tearing through the sky.

The three artifacts trembled slightly, emitting a sound similar to a rumbling stomach.

Immediately afterwards, a soft light screen rose from the "bowl" (the Dragon King's Eye), projecting a holographic image into mid-air.

It was a majestic mountain peak that stood at the edge of the world, towering into the clouds and covered in ice and snow all year round.

At the summit of the mountain stands a magnificent castle built of agate and clouds, radiating a dreamlike glow under the aurora borealis. And at the very top of the castle, there seems to be a veil of mist, within which one can vaguely discern a gigantic table laden with all sorts of delicacies…?

Well, that is actually the throne of the gods, but in Jiang Li's eyes, a long, narrow table can only be a dining table.

【Kadath in the Cold Waste】

Legend has it that it is the abode of the earth gods, the far north of the dreamland, and the ultimate destination that only the greatest dreamers can reach.

"Where is this?"

Jiang Li pointed to the mountain, "It looks familiar, doesn't it resemble our Mount Everest? But the decorations on it are quite luxurious."

"Boss, according to the database of Migo's brain..."

Liu Wei leaned over for a look, his face turning somewhat pale.

"This is [Kadas]. Legend has it that no one knows where it is, and no one has ever returned alive. It is said that the original gods of Earth lived there, but they were controlled by Nyarlathotep (the Black Pharaoh)."

"Moreover... judging from the altitude and environment, it must be extremely cold there, and it may even be connected to outer space."

"Extremely cold?"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up. "Isn't that a natural giant refrigerator?"

"Look at the clouds on the mountaintop, don't they look like freshly whipped butter? And that castle, all red and green, doesn't it look like a giant gingerbread house?"

"This place must be hiding the ultimate delicacy!"

Jiang Li slammed his hand on the table.

"Navigation! Lock onto coordinates! Let's go to this Cadas place for 'snow-topped ice cream'!"

"But the boss..."

Wang Ergou weakly raised his hand, "We're still stuck at the port."

"block?"

Jiang Li looked out the window.

Outside the port of Delas-Lin, the sea was now densely packed with black warships.

That's the Black Sail Fleet.

A hundred or so triremes, piloted by moon beasts, completely blocked the port's exit. Each ship was equipped with crossbows that could fire death rays, and countless moon beast soldiers with weapons and red eyes.

They came for revenge.

They've also come to reclaim the Silver Key.

"Hand over the key! Hand over that demon!"

On a flagship, a Moon Beast Overlord, three times the size of an ordinary Moon Beast, was roaring hysterically.

"Otherwise, we will slaughter this port! We will enslave everyone!"

The merchants and residents in the port were terrified and hid in the cellars.

"Oh ho? You dare to deliver vegetables?"

Jiang Li looked at the fleet that blotted out the sky, but instead of panicking, he picked up the Silver Key (spoon) he had just acquired and weighed it in his hand.

"Perfect timing, I want to try out these new tableware and see if they're any good."

"Pass on my order! Weigh anchor! Set sail! Let's charge straight out!"

"Boss! Those are hundreds of warships! We only have one!"

Liu Wei grew anxious. "Moreover, it seems the other side has some kind of spatial blocking device; our time-space jump might not work!"

"Who said I was going to jump?"

Jiang Li smiled mysteriously and raised the silver spoon in his hand.

"I want...soup!"

……

"Boom!"

The Golden Black Pearl has been launched.

Instead of activating its shield and charging head-on as usual, it slowly drove towards the enemy's encirclement in an extremely strange manner.

At the bow of the boat, Jiang Li stood facing the wind, holding a silver spoon in his hand, as if performing some kind of sacred ritual.

"Fire! Sink it!"

The Moon Beast Commander gave the order.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Countless black death ray crossbow bolts rained down on the Black Pearl.

Just as those attacks were about to touch the ship's hull.

Jiang Li moved.

He raised the silver spoon and, facing the void in front of him, made a perfectly precise "scooping" motion, like when drinking soup.

"Give me... a spoonful!"

"Buzz—!!!"

The silver key burst forth with an extremely dazzling light.

The next second, something incredible happened.

The space in front of Jiang Li... along with the seawater, air, and light within it, the countless crossbow bolts fired at him, and even the dozen or so black-sailed warships blocking his way...

It really did look like a spoonful of soup, and it was "scooped" away by this seemingly small spoon!

That's right, it's "scooping away" in the physical sense.

That space vanished instantly, turning into an absolute void, a black hole.

The warships and attacks appeared as if they had been shrunk countless times, appearing in the tiny groove of the Silver Key, turning into a rotating miniature vortex.

"Gurgle!"

Jiang Li made a swallowing motion (of course, he didn't actually eat them, but just tossed them into the void behind him).

"puff!"

He tossed the spoon backward.

The dozen or so warships, along with the moon beasts on board, were "spit out" from the higher dimension and crashed heavily onto a deserted island behind them, shattering into pieces.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

All the moon beasts gaped open their noseless mouths, staring at this scene that defied the laws of physics.

Did you use a spoon to... carve out a piece of space?

What the hell is this ability?!

"It tastes a bit salty, and there are too many impurities."

Jiang Li smacked his lips and commented.

"Next time, we need to skim off all that 'sand' (warships) before we drink."

He raised the spoon again, pointing it at the terrified Moon Beast Overseer.

"The biggest one! What are you looking at? It's your turn!"

"Another spoonful!"

"No!!! Retreat! Retreat now!"

The warlord finally realized what was happening and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

This isn't a fight! This is being treated like soup!

The massive black-sailed fleet collapsed instantly, scrambling to turn around and try to escape.

"Run away? You think my soup base can run away?"

Jiang Li got hooked on the game.

"One spoonful on the left! One spoonful on the right! And another spoonful in the middle!"

He waved the silver key in the air, and with each wave, a large area of ​​sea and space in front of him would disappear into thin air and be thrown several kilometers away.

The Black Pearl thus brazenly carved out a "vacuum road" in the enemy's camp.

"Awesome! That's so awesome!"

Jiang Li burst into laughter.

"With this spoon, I can scoop the entire Milky Way dry, even if I come across it!"

……

After breaking through the encirclement, the Black Pearl did not stop and headed directly north.

Target: The far north, Kadaz.

As latitude increases, the surrounding environment begins to change dramatically.

The warm ocean has vanished, replaced by frigid waters dotted with massive icebergs. The colors in the sky have also faded, leaving only a monotonous and oppressive gray-white.

The temperature plummeted to tens of degrees below zero.

"Achoo!"

Wang Ergou was still shivering, wrapped in two layers of spider silk thermal underwear.

"Boss, why is this place even colder than Lengyuan? I feel like my snot is about to freeze."

"It's supposed to be cold, otherwise there wouldn't be a 'snowy top'!"

Jiang Li stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the continent shrouded in mist ahead.

That place is Inquanok, the only way to Kadas, also known as the "City of Onyx".

"Old Liu, bring out that [Vovados] (Flame Master) for me!"

Jiang Li shouted.

"We need heating! Let's get the fire going! Don't let my boat freeze!"

"call--"

A green flame ignited in the center of the deck, instantly transforming the Black Pearl into a mobile furnace, melting the sea ice wherever it passed.

Just as the ship approached the coastline.

"Waaaaah..."

A melodious, desolate, yet strangely alluring flute melody drifted from the towering mountains on the shore.

The sound of the flute didn't sound like it was played by a human; it sounded more like the wailing of the wind passing through some huge void.

Upon hearing this sound, the big yellow dog on the boat suddenly pricked up its ears, its fur stood on end, and it let out a low growl.

"Woof!" (Something's there! Dangerous! More dangerous than those big eyeballs!)

"Danger?"

Jiang Li squinted and looked in the direction from which the flute music came.

On a cliff on the shore, a huge figure stood.

That was neither a person nor an ordinary monster.

It was a giant, ten meters tall, covered in black hair, with two large, curved horns, and holding a bone flute...

【Gnoph-Keh】(Gnoph-Keh)

The guardians of the far north, known as the "hairy demons of the ice plains," are distant relatives of the Great Old One Rhan-Tegoth, or members of the Itakya clan.

It has six legs, each with sharp claws, and its thick fur is enough to protect it from any cold.

"call--"

The giant blew his bone flute, and the surrounding wind and snow instantly turned violent, transforming into white wind elemental monsters that pounced on the Black Pearl.

"Oh? This is... a snowman?"

Jiang Li looked at the hairy giant, but instead of being afraid, his eyes lit up.

"That size! That amount of fur! If you skinned it and made it into a rug, how warm would that be?"

"And look at that big horn; it'd definitely be better as a horn than that seashell!"

He licked his lips.

"Most importantly... this thing looks a bit like a yak!"

"Since it's yaks, it can definitely be used to make beef jerky!"

"Brothers! Let's get ashore! Let's go hunting!"

Jiang Li drew the Poseidon Trident from behind his back.

"Today we're having—[Icelandic Lime Beef Hot Pot]!"

……

Before the Black Pearl had even come to a complete stop, Jiang Li jumped off with Da Huang.

"Hey! You playing the flute! Stop playing! It sounds awful!"

Jiang Li shouted.

The giant stopped playing, his blood-red eyes fixed on Jiang Li.

"roar!!!"

It dropped the bone flute and charged forward, brandishing its six sharp claws.

"Wow! Six legs! Now we don't have to fight over chicken legs!"

Jiang Li was overjoyed.

"Big Yellow! Bite its hind leg! Lei Meng! Set up the pot! Old Wo! Boil the water!"

"Watch my magic fork hair removal method!"

The trident in Jiang Li's hand burst forth with blinding lightning.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The lightning struck the giant, not only paralyzing it but also giving it a "perm," instantly turning its long fur black and curly, emitting a... burnt hair smell.

"Oh... the heat was a bit too high, it almost burned the skin."

Jiang Li felt a little sorry for him.

The giant went mad with pain, stomping the earth with its six legs, triggering a small avalanche.

But under the siege of this "team of professional chefs," it was destined to be a tragedy.

Ten minutes later.

The giant was bound hand and foot (using the shackles of the moon beast) and lay on the ground unable to move.

Its once-proud long fur had been shaved off (Jiang Li thought it was in the way), revealing its strong, muscular body.

"Excellent! The meat is firm and has a clear marbling; it's definitely top-quality Wagyu beef!"

Jiang Li brandished the knife at the giant.

"Should we slice it or cut it into chunks?"

The giant shed tears of despair.

It is the overlord of this icy plain! It is a demon that strikes fear into the hearts of all!

Why were they shaved and treated like cows?

"Stop crying, or the meat will turn sour."

Jiang Li comforted her.

"Don't worry, I'll send you on your way with the best seasonings."

He pulled out the thermos containing the "Wonton Soup" from his pocket.

"Just one drop of this will guarantee you a peaceful passing, and you might even dream of returning to ancient times."

……

Just as Jiang Li was about to start the surgery.

A strange tremor suddenly came from the sky.

The clouds parted, and a huge, balloon-like creature descended from the sky.

It has a pink body, several pairs of wings, and its head is still that iconic polyhedron.

[Mi-Go]?

No, this one is bigger than any I've seen before, and it's covered in all sorts of high-tech equipment.

It hovered in mid-air, its metal cylinder aimed at Jiang Li.

"Buzz..." (Detected... an individual possessing the 'Silver Key'...)

"Buzz..." (Supreme command: Retrieve the key... Eliminate witnesses...)

"Another delivery person?"

Jiang Li looked up.

"This crayfish looks quite plump, and it's still in its shell."

He held the knife horizontally.

"Since we're here, let's not leave! Our hot pot is just missing some seafood to enhance the flavor!"

"Today's meal has all the main dishes!"