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

Early morning at the old wharf in Jianghai City.

"Rat-a-tat-tat—"

Accompanied by a deep rumble that seemed to come from the depths of hell, the Black Pearl (the Remains of Leviathan), a ship entirely black with a tattered skull and crossbones flag flying at its bow, slowly sailed into the harbor.

After a night of "feeding" and sailing, the ship seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.

The black wooden planks of the ship became tighter and shinier, as if covered with a layer of grease (actually a protective layer of corpse oil). Several closed eye patterns were faintly visible on both sides of the ship's side, and several more cables, like tentacles, swayed slightly on the mast.

"This boat is breaking in well; it's getting easier and easier to handle."

Jiang Li stood at the bow of the boat and stretched. "It's just that the engine is a bit loud. I'll have to find a mechanic to tune it later, in case the muffler is broken."

At the dock, Old Wang, the owner of a second-hand ship dealership, was brushing his teeth while holding a teacup.

When he saw the black ship that exuded a strong ominous aura, as if it had just been pulled from the River Styx, his hand trembled and the teacup fell directly into the sea.

"My God...this ship...is alive?!"

Old Wang's one eye was wide open.

As a seasoned veteran who had spent many years in the ship graveyard, he could clearly sense that this once lifeless ghost ship was now like a giant beast awakening, greedily breathing in the surrounding air.

Especially the huge lump of meat on the bow deck, still crackling and sparking with electricity, made his heart pound with fear.

"Hey, Boss Wang, you're up early!"

Jiang Li jumped off the boat and skillfully threaded the cable onto the stake.

The cable (tentacle) automatically tied a knot, and even tightened it.

"Young...young brother, did you...go to rob the Thunder God?"

Old Wang pointed at the [Thunder Element Lord - Deep Sea Electric Eel] on the deck, whose head and tail had been cut off, leaving only the most essential middle section, his voice trembling.

Even though it was just a piece of corpse, the residual lightning power on it still filled the surrounding air with a burnt smell, and people's hair would stand on end if they got too close.

"Hey, lucky me, I ran into a giant electric eel."

Jiang Li waved his hand and dragged a "fleshball" that was still flashing a bright blue-purple light off the boat.

That was the electric eel's [Thunder Core], which was what Jiang Li saw as a "big battery".

"Sizzle sizzle—"

An electric current surged across the surface of the fleshy ball, producing a teeth-grinding sound.

"This thing is too powerful. I'm afraid it will set the boat on fire if I put it on it. I need to get it home quickly."

Wearing the work gloves that were charred black from the electric shock, Jiang Li stuffed the "battery" into a foam box.

"Boss Wang, could I borrow your little cart?"

"Use it! Use it as you like! It's yours!"

Old Wang just wanted him to leave quickly, as the lightning was blinding his one eye.

……

One hour later, at Villa No. 13, Yulong Bay.

Jiang Li pushed the cart, while Da Huang carried two large pieces of premium eel meat on his back, and they returned home.

"Little Fish! I'm back! Tonight we're having grilled eel rice!"

Jiang Xiaoyu hadn't gotten up yet; it was Sunday, a rare day for her to sleep in.

Jiang Li didn't wake her and went straight to the basement.

"Let's solve this electricity bill problem first."

He looked at the Thunder Core that was still constantly emitting electricity, his eyes gleaming with a light that seemed to say "thrift and diligence."

This villa is nice, but commercial electricity is too expensive; it costs more than one dollar per kilowatt-hour!

As a newly rich person who has just escaped poverty, Jiang Li still maintains the fine tradition of saving money wherever possible.

"This thing has a bit too high a voltage; we need to lower it."

Jiang Li found a bunch of wires and copper wires in the storage room, as well as an old transformer that he had salvaged from a junkyard.

He placed the Thunder Core on an insulating rubber mat in the basement and then began his "hardcore electrical work".

"The red wire connects to the live wire, the blue wire to the neutral wire... and this thick one is inserted directly into the flesh to conduct electricity..."

If a normal electrician saw this, they would definitely call the police or an ambulance on the spot.

Because Jiang Li's so-called "connection" was simply inserting two wrist-thick industrial cables directly into the hole of that B-grade element core!

"boom!"

The core was stimulated, and a violent burst of lightning power instantly erupted.

The entire basement instantly turned into a blue-purple ocean, with countless electric snakes dancing wildly, and the concrete walls were scorched black by the impact.

"Oh dear! She's got quite a temper!"

Jiang Li's hair stood on end from the electric shock, turning him into an afro, but instead of letting go, he became even more excited.

"Behave yourself! Giving you the power source is a favor!"

He pressed his hands firmly against the core, activating the indescribable power of the "Angler" rule within his body.

Suppress!

"Waaah..."

The elemental core, which was originally extremely violent, actually let out a pitiful whimper under Jiang Li's monstrous strength (rule suppression). It then obediently restrained its violent lightning and instead output a stable, continuous, and extremely powerful current.

"That's right."

Jiang Li patted the core with satisfaction (although his hand was a little numb), and then connected the other end of the cable to the main power switch of the villa.

"Clatter!"

Close the circuit breaker.

"Buzz—!!!"

The lights in the entire villa turned on instantly.

It's not just ordinary brightness, it's the kind of brightness that blinds a dog!

The crystal chandelier in the living room shone like the sun, the TV turned on automatically and the picture clarity was upgraded to 4K, and even the sound of the refrigerator cooling became as powerful as a sports car engine.

"Wow! This voltage is a bit too high, the light bulb is about to explode."

Jiang Li scratched his head. "Looks like I need to add a resistor... Oh well, let's leave it like this for now, so I don't have to change the light bulb later."

From then on, Villa No. 13 in Yulong Bay became the only building in the entire Jianghai City with its own "thunderous magnetic field".

Within a radius of 500 meters, all mosquitoes, insects, and rodents disappeared (scared away by the electric field). Even wandering ghosts that dared to get close were instantly struck by the electric arcs in the air and their souls were scattered.

A true "physical warding off of evil spirits".

……

Having settled the "nuclear power plant" matter, Jiang Lixin went upstairs to cook, completely satisfied.

In the kitchen.

The two large pieces of deep-sea electric eel meat were placed on the cutting board. The meat was crystal clear, and you could vaguely see wisps of blue electricity moving inside.

"This meat looks very firm and chewy."

Jiang Li picked up the butcher knife and began to slice the pig.

"Sizzle—"

As the blade sliced ​​through the fish, it sparked a string of sparks.

"Wow, it has a built-in electric grill function?"

Jiang Li was delighted.

He cut the fish into thick slices, marinated them for a while with his secret sauce (soy sauce, sugar, and cooking wine), then laid them out on a baking tray and put them in the oven.

There is no need to set the temperature too high, because fish itself contains a lot of heat energy.

Ten minutes later.

A peculiar aroma, a blend of caramel and sweetness with a faint hint of ozone (the smell of lightning), wafted from the kitchen.

The fragrance was so strong that it penetrated the walls and drifted to the neighboring villa number 14.

……

Villa No. 14, terrace.

Su Qingge was wearing sunglasses and lying on a deck chair sunbathing (actually, she was monitoring the surrounding psionic fluctuations).

Suddenly, the psionic detector on her wrist emitted a piercing alarm.

"Beep beep beep! Warning! High-intensity lightning element reaction detected! Energy level B+! Distance... 10 meters?!"

Su Qingge sat up abruptly, took off her sunglasses, and looked at the room next door.

From the windows of Villa No. 13, not only was a blinding white light emanating, but also wisps of smoke carrying blue arcs of electricity were rising from the chimney.

"This...this is..."

Su Qingge took a deep breath of the ionized fragrance, feeling a slight tingling on her tongue, while her spiritual energy instantly became active.

"The flesh and blood of a lightning elemental creature?! And a lord-level one at that?!"

She was shocked.

Yesterday, the monitoring station reported a thunderstorm in the depths of the Misty Sea, with a suspected B-rank lightning elemental lord appearing. And today... this thing got roasted right next door?

"Mr. Jiang... what exactly did you go to do?"

Su Qingge looked at the villa that seemed to have been transformed into "Thor's hammer" with a complicated expression.

She hesitated for three seconds.

Then, she resolutely got up, straightened her clothes, and took a box of high-end tea that she had just bought yesterday.

"As a neighbor, it's perfectly reasonable to... no, to check on the electrical safety of your neighbor's house, isn't it?"

……

"Ding-dong—"

Just as the doorbell rang, Jiang Li brought the last serving of grilled eel rice to the table.

"Here it comes!"

Jiang Li ran to open the door, and when he saw it was Su Qingge, he immediately smiled.

"Oh, Miss Su, you have a really good nose! I just finished cooking and you're here."

Jiang Li's hair was still in an afro style (from the electrical wiring earlier), and his face still had some black ash on it, making him look like he had just come from an explosion site.

Looking at his face, Su Qingge suppressed a laugh and handed him some tea.

"Mr. Jiang, I came here because the lights in your house are a bit too bright. I was worried there might be a problem with the electrical wiring, so I came to take a look."

"Hey, it's nothing! I just modified the circuit myself and replaced it with a high-powered 'generator'."

Jiang Li pointed to the chandelier overhead, which was as bright as a searchlight. "How about that? Bright enough, right? We won't need to turn on a flashlight at night anymore."

Su Qingge felt the terrifying lightning element particles permeating the air, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

This isn't a generator; it's practically a home reactor!

"Indeed...it's very bright."

"Come on, since you're here, don't leave. You can try the eel rice I just made."

Jiang Li warmly pulled Su Qingge into the house.

Inside the restaurant, Jiang Xiaoyu was already sitting at the table, holding chopsticks and looking at the fish in her bowl with great curiosity.

"Brother, why... does this fish meat sparkle?"

On the dark red eel meat, tiny blue arcs of electricity flashed from time to time, making a "sizzling" sound.

"That's...that, the natural reaction of myoglobin! It means the meat is fresh! And still active!"

Jiang Li casually made up a story, "It's like a 'pissing beef ball,' it tastes better if it's a bit bouncy."

"Oh..." Jiang Xiaoyu seemed to understand but not quite.

Su Qingge sat down, looked at the bowl of rice in front of her that was full of "energy", and took a deep breath.

This is the flesh of a lightning elemental lord!

For an ice-type awakener like her, although lightning element is incompatible, this high-purity energy can greatly temper her physical body with just a little refining!

Let's eat!

Jiang Li took the lead, picking up a large piece of fish and putting it in his mouth.

"Sizzle—"

A surge of electricity exploded in my mouth, the tingling sensation like a tap dance on my tongue, stimulating every taste bud.

Then, the sweetness of the fish and the richness of the sauce blended together, filling the entire mouth.

"Awesome! This texture is amazing! It's like it's made of popping candy!"

Jiang Li exclaimed that it was so much fun.

Jiang Xiaoyu also tried a bite.

"ah!"

She gasped, covering her mouth, "Brother, there really is electricity! My mouth feels numb!"

But then, her face turned rosy, and her hair started to flutter slightly (due to static electricity).

"It's so delicious! I feel so energetic!"

Su Qingge also took a bite.

The violent lightning energy rushed into her body instantly, but it did not harm her. Instead, it was like countless small hammers, hammering and tempering her meridians and bones.

"This is... Thunderous Body Tempering?!"

Su Qingge was deeply shocked.

Even the most advanced gene-enhancing drugs within the Bureau of Abnormalities cannot achieve this effect!

Is it possible that a single meal can be equivalent to a month of ascetic practice?

"Mr. Jiang, where did you catch this fish?" Su Qingge couldn't help but ask.

"It's right by the sea. There was thunder that day, and a silly fish just happened to run into it."

Jiang Li said while eating, "Lucky, lucky."

Good luck?

Su Qingge looked at the big yellow dog under the table, which was gnawing on an electric fish bone and whose fur was bristling like a hedgehog, and sighed silently.

To be able to catch a B-rank lord like a fool in the middle of a thunderstorm... such luck is something only a god could have.

The meal was eaten in a flash.

After the meal, the three of them sat on the sofa to digest their food.

Because they consumed too much lightning element, all three of them had hair that was frizzy and defied gravity, especially Jiang Xiaoyu, whose hair became an afro, making her look as cute as a lion.

"By the way, Miss Su."

Jiang Li suddenly remembered something, "That antique appreciation event you mentioned before... are there any similar events?"

He now has money (five million from selling fish + eight hundred thousand from selling leeches), his equipment has been upgraded, and his mind has become more active.

Fishing can be profitable, but it's too tiring.

He wanted to start a side hustle, like... finding bargains.

The pickled cowpeas in that broken jar last time were so delicious. If I could find a few more similar treasures, wouldn't life be even better?

Su Qingge thought for a moment: "There is a large 'secondhand market' opening soon. It's a mixed bag, but good stuff often comes out there."

That market is called the "Ghost Market".

"A ghost market?"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up.

This name sounds auspicious! There must be plenty of cheap stuff here!

"Where is it? When does it open?"

"Tonight, at midnight, at... the back mountain of the Jianghai City Crematorium."

"crematorium?"

Jiang Li slapped his thigh. "I know that place like the back! I used to work there as a porter! I even delivered takeout there!"

Su Qingge: "..."

The life experiences of this big shot are indeed rich and colorful.

"Okay! Let's go to the ghost market tonight! See if we can find some useful kitchenware or furniture."

Jiang Li excitedly made the decision.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean...

White Eagle Federal Bureau of Abnormal Investigations Headquarters.

A group of high-ranking officials are looking at a photograph with concern.

The photo is the last image transmitted back by the Explorer: a dark, ghostly ship with a blurry Eastern man standing at the bow, waving and throwing things at them.

"Have the analysis results come out yet?" The director asked, his face grim.

"It's out... What that man threw over was a high-purity crystal of lightning element, with an energy density equivalent to a small tactical nuclear bomb..."

"And... according to Captain Jack's testimony, that man was... offering them fish."

Director: "..."

"Raise this person's danger level to SSS! Codename—[Deep Sea Chef]!"

"Furthermore, all vessels operating in the East China Sea are hereby warned: upon seeing a black fishing boat, turn around immediately! Do not accept any food offered by it!"

"This could be some kind of terrifying curse ritual!"