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

Deep within the ruins of R'lyeh (false), lies a collapsed temple.

"Boom—!!!"

The tremors on the seabed became more and more violent, and the already crooked buildings began to collapse on a large scale. Countless rubble and huge pieces of coral fell from above, kicking up clouds of dust (seabed sediment).

Deep within the cracked earth, a terrifying aura, seemingly from the primordial era, was rapidly expanding. It was not merely a physical oppression, but a form of mental pollution capable of directly distorting reality and causing the surrounding seawater to boil.

【Star Families】(Rank A Ancient Creatures).

It is the offspring of Cthulhu and the true ruler of this underwater city. It has slumbered for thousands of years, but today a foolish "thief" forcibly ripped out its finger (the Pillar of Stars). This excruciating pain, extending to the very core of the finger, has completely awakened it from its long slumber, plunging it into a frenzied rage.

"roar--!!!"

A roar powerful enough to shatter steel emanated from the thick rock layer, the sound waves forming a tangible shockwave in the water, instantly turning the deep-sea divers within a few hundred meters into a bloody mist.

However, Jiang Li, who was at the center of the storm, was carrying the huge black iron rod (the Star Pillar) that was twenty meters long and two meters thick, and he was cursing and swearing with a gloomy expression.

"Pah! What a shoddy construction project!"

As Jiang Li nimbly dodged the large rocks falling from above, he complained, "I just pulled out a pillar, why such a big reaction? This house is so poorly constructed, it collapses just from touching a load-bearing column?"

In his view, this was a typical "demolition accident involving illegal buildings".

"Big Yellow! Protect the gold! Don't let any slip by!"

Jiang Li turned around and shouted.

At this moment, Big Yellow was biting the huge snakeskin bag full of gold coins, its four legs paddling rapidly in the water, its eyes filled with terror as it looked down at the ever-widening crack below.

It could sense that the big guy was about to come out!

That was an existence several levels higher than it. Although it was a Time Hound, it had to tuck its tail between its legs and act like a dog in the face of such pure power crushing.

"boom!"

Just then, the ground of the temple exploded completely.

An enormous, indescribably large green claw emerged from the ground, covered with suckers and barbs, each finger as thick as a train.

Immediately afterwards, a bloated, enormous green shadow with an octopus head and bat wings slowly rose from the darkness.

It's too big.

Its head alone was taller than the temple from before, and its pair of yellow eyes, gleaming with malice, were like two suns on the seabed, fixedly locked onto the human carrying its finger.

"Thief...die..."

Ancient spiritual energy surged in the sea, carrying an irresistible divine message.

The surrounding seawater instantly became viscous like glue, attempting to imprison Jiang Li in place.

"Oh? The landlord's out?"

Jiang Li stopped and looked back at the enormous thing.

Through his "poverty filter," he didn't see any indescribable monsters.

All he saw was a huge, green mass covered in seaweed...

"Is this... a moldy giant sponge?"

Jiang Li frowned. "This huge lump is blocking the road. Are you trying to scam me?"

He felt as if his body was bound by something (mental imprisonment), unable to move.

"Trying to stage an accident? No way!"

Jiang Li was furious.

He had just made a fortune and hated this kind of highway robbery the most.

"Get out of my way!"

Jiang Li took a deep breath, his arm muscles bulged, and he actually managed to break free from the mental restraints of the A-level monster.

He swung the heavy "stabilizing needle" on his shoulder, which weighed over ten tons, like a baseball bat, and with perfect coordination of his waist and stance, he swung it fiercely at the giant claw that was reaching out!

"Get out of here—!!!"

"call--"

The black iron rod carved a terrifying vacuum zone under the high pressure of the deep sea, carrying the force of billions of tons of seawater, and slammed heavily onto the claws of the Star Familiar.

"when--!!!"

A deafening clang of metal resounded across the seabed.

This pillar was originally part of the Star Clan's body (a finger), and its hardness was comparable to that of a divine artifact. Combined with Jiang Li's unreasonable and monstrous strength, it was a perfect match.

That one blow had an outstanding effect!

"Snap!"

The giant claw that the Star Familia extended was actually broken by this blow!

Green divine blood gushed out like a fountain, dyeing half of the sea green.

"roar--!!!"

The Star Familia let out a heart-wrenching scream.

It was bewildered.

Did it hit itself with its own finger?

And what's with this human's power? Why is it greater than that of the ancient god's offspring?

The immense impact caused the Star Familiar's massive body to lose its balance, falling backward and crashing heavily into the rock wall behind it, triggering an even more violent collapse.

"Boom!"

Countless boulders fell, burying half of the newly awakened, yet still powerless, A-level monster back down.

"Serves you right for blocking the road! Serves you right for trying to scam me!"

Jiang Li waved the stick, looking disdainful. "What's the use of being big? Just bloated!"

He glanced at "Big Sponge," who was buried in the pile of rocks and still whimpering, and pursed his lips.

"Forget it, this thing doesn't look appetizing. It's covered in green mold, probably got mildew. I'd have to spend ages washing it when I get home, not worth the trouble."

Jiang Li gave up the idea of ​​packing it up and taking it with him (mainly because the car and the boat couldn't fit it).

"Big Yellow! The wind's blowing hard! Let's get out of here!"

While the big guy was still questioning his existence, Jiang Li, carrying the iron bar and dragging Da Huang along, swam rapidly towards the surface of the sea, his legs like propellers.

……

On the sea, the Black Pearl (the remains of Leviathan).

The sea was now in complete chaos.

The dramatic changes on the seabed triggered a massive tsunami, with waves tens of meters high crashing against the ship's hull one after another. If the ship hadn't been navigable and capable of adjusting its course with the waves, it would likely have capsized long ago.

On the deck, Wang Ergou and a group of believers clung tightly to the railing, their faces ashen, vomiting violently.

"Ugh... What on earth did the captain do?"

"This noise... ugh... it sounds like an underwater volcano erupting?"

"Did they blow up the Dragon Palace?"

While everyone was still in shock...

A huge whirlpool suddenly appeared on the sea beside the ship.

"Splash—!!!"

A jet of water shot into the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a figure leaped out of the water column and landed steadily on the deck.

"Thump!"

The ship suddenly sank, and the waterline instantly went over the edge of the deck. Luckily, it didn't sink.

Everyone stared intently, and were completely dumbfounded.

Jiang Li was soaking wet, carrying an outrageously long and frighteningly thick black iron pillar on his shoulder, and holding a bulging snakeskin bag in his hand, looking very proud and confident.

Behind him, Big Yellow jumped up, carrying a giant sea turtle (actually some kind of long-lived evil beast) in its mouth.

"Whew...that feels great!"

Jiang Li placed the twenty-meter-long pillar onto the deck.

"Bang!"

The entire ship groaned, as if it could not bear the weight.

"The ship, Captain?! What are you doing...?"

Wang Ergou scrambled over, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets as he stared at the pillar.

He could feel an ancient, desolate, and extremely terrifying pressure emanating from the pillar. Being within three meters of it felt like one's soul was being crushed.

These are... the limbs of a god?!

"Oh, this."

Jiang Li patted the pillar. "I thought this thing was pretty straight, and it's solid iron, so I just pulled it back. Our mast on the ship is a bit thin and doesn't look imposing enough. We'll replace it with this one and use it as a flagpole!"

"Flag... flagpole?"

Wang Ergou almost knelt down.

Using such a divine object imbued with the power of stars as a flagpole? That's far too extravagant!

If this thing were stuck in the sea, it would be a pillar that stabilizes the ocean! If it were made into a weapon, it would be a world-destroying demon weapon!

You're going to use it to hang flags?

"What? Is it not okay?" Jiang Li noticed his expression was off.

"Great! Absolutely fantastic!" Wang Ergou nodded quickly. "Once this flagpole is erected, the reputation of our Deep Blue Seafood will definitely spread throughout the Seven Seas!"

"Absolutely."

Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction, then mysteriously pulled Wang Ergou over and pointed to the snakeskin bag.

"Ergou, do you know what's in here?"

"Is it... a high-grade ingredient?" Wang Ergou guessed.

"So tacky! It's so tacky!"

Jiang Li looked at him with disdain, then quietly opened a corner of the bag, revealing a glittering golden light.

"This...this is..."

Wang Ergou was dazzled by the golden light.

"Gold! It's all gold!"

Jiang Li lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement, "This bag must weigh at least a hundred pounds! We're rich!"

Looking at those gold coins, Wang Ergou was filled with even more shock and turmoil.

These gold coins are engraved with ancient abyssal runes, each containing the dual power of curse and blessing. This is no ordinary gold; it is [Ancient Abyssal Gold]!

In the world of mystery, this single gold coin is worth enough to buy a city!

And the captain... brought a whole sack?!

"Captain is awesome! Captain is amazing!"

This time, Wang Ergou truly knelt down.

Following this master, you'll not only have meat to eat, but you'll also be on the verge of a meteoric rise to success!

"Keep a low profile, keep a low profile."

Jiang Li waved his hand, "Hurry up, set sail! Go home! This place looks like it's about to collapse."

He glanced back and saw a huge whirlpool forming on the distant sea surface, caused by the collapse of an underwater relic.

"Yes! Return to base at full speed!"

The Black Pearl once again spewed out black steam, carrying a ship full of "trophies," and sailed away like a well-fed bandit.

……

On the way back, Jiang Li didn't stop working either.

He looked at the large iron pillar lying across the deck and felt it took up more and more space.

"This thing is too long. If it's placed horizontally, it'll easily scratch the flowers and plants. If it's placed vertically, it's not stable."

Jiang Li stroked his chin. "We need to figure out a way to install it."

He walked to the engine room at the bottom of the ship and said to the still-beating heart:

"Hey guys, I need to talk to you about something. I got you a new spine replacement, see if you can get it fitted?"

Heart: "Thump thump?" (Are you kidding me?)

Although it is the remains of Leviathan, this pillar is a finger of a Star Familiar! Its rank is far higher than its own! How could it possibly merge with it?

"Don't be such a coward."

Jiang Li patted his heart. "I'll help you."

As he spoke, he returned to the deck, grabbed the heavy pillar weighing over ten tons with one hand, and inserted it directly into the center of the ship where the mast originally was.

"Get in...!"

Jiang Li exerted force with both arms, and an invisible force of rules instantly enveloped the pillar and the ship.

[Forced Fusion!] (The Angler's Crafting Skill)

"Click-clack—"

A sickeningly loud sound of bones growing rang out.

To everyone's horror, the deck of the Black Pearl suddenly cracked open as if it had come alive, and countless black fleshy buds and tentacles poured out of the cracks, frantically wrapping around the black pillar.

The once cold and hard Star Pillar, upon contact with this flesh and blood, had its red patterns light up and begin to flicker as if breathing.

The two are undergoing an extremely terrifying and illogical fusion!

Ten minutes later.

A brand-new mast, thirty meters high, entirely black, with flowing red patterns resembling lava, stood in the center of the Black Pearl.

"boom--"

A terrifying aura erupted from the ship, instantly dispelling the surrounding mist.

This ship... has evolved!

It fused with the limbs of an A-grade mythical creature, transforming itself from an ordinary ghost ship into the prototype of an [Abyss Mothership]!

The two large eyes at the bow of the ship became even more lively, and even revealed a hint of human-like ecstasy.

It felt that its current strength was enough to smash an iceberg!

"Not bad, not bad, it looks much better now."

Jiang Li patted the new mast with satisfaction. "Sturdy! It'll definitely look cool when we hang flags on it!"

He took out the red flag of "Deep Blue Seafood" from his bag, climbed up in a few quick movements, and hung it at the highest point.

The red flag fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

On this misty sea filled with death and despair, this flag stands out incongruously, yet it exudes an unparalleled aura of power.

……

Evening, the old wharf.

Old Wang was about to close the door when he suddenly felt the ground tremble.

He looked up at the sea and saw a black behemoth, even larger and more menacing than before, cutting through the waves.

The towering black and red mast emanated a suffocating pressure.

"This...this is..."

Old Wang was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud. "Did they pull the magic needle back?!"

Ship docked.

Jiang Li jumped off the boat, followed by Big Yellow carrying large and small bags of gold coins.

"Boss Wang! Still awake?"

Jiang Li greeted him with a smile, "A good day, got some scrap metal. Do you buy scrap iron here?"

"Scrap metal...?"

Old Wang stared at the mast that was still emitting terrifying energy and swallowed hard.

"Young man, your scrap metal... I'm afraid my little shop can't afford to take it in."

"It's okay, we don't sell that."

Jiang Li waved his hand. "I have some gold jewelry here, it looks like it's from ancient times. Could you take a look and see how much it's worth?"

He grabbed a handful of gold coins and stuffed them into Old Wang's hand.

Old Wang looked down and almost had a heart attack on the spot.

【Abyss Ancient Gold】!

And it's the kind with extremely high purity! One of those is enough to buy his entire dock!

"This...this..."

"Oh, stop with all that 'this' and 'that', I know you don't have enough cash."

Jiang Li patted him on the shoulder, "Here's what we'll do: you help me contact a big buyer, and you'll get a good kickback after it's done."

"Okay! No problem!"

Old Wang instantly recovered fully.

This is a big business deal!

"By the way, young man, about your ship..." Old Wang pointed to the mutated Black Pearl.

"Oh, I just had it serviced in the sea, they replaced a part."

Jiang Li said casually, "I have to say, after changing the parts, the power is much stronger, but the fuel consumption is a bit high. I'll have to catch more fish to feed it later."

Old Wang: "..."

Maintenance? Replacement of parts?

You call this maintenance?!

This is clearly an enchantment that upgrades the ship to +13!

……

Back at the villa.

Jiang Xiaoyu has already returned from school (she returned to school on Sunday night, but Jiang Li gave her special permission to stay one more night).

Seeing her brother and Da Huang return carrying a large bag of golden things, Jiang Xiaoyu curiously came over.

"Brother, what's this? Chocolate coins?"

"Yes! It's chocolate!"

Jiang Li casually made up a story, "It's imported from abroad, with a very high gold content. You can't eat it, you can only look at it."

He poured the gold coins onto the living room carpet, piling them into a small mountain of gold.

Wow! That's so sparkly!

Although Jiang Xiaoyu didn't know it was real gold, she was still dazzled by its brilliance.

"Do you like it? It's yours!"

Jiang Li waved his hand dismissively, "Take it and play with it! You can build with blocks or skip stones, whatever you want!"

Big Yellow lay to one side, watching the Abyss Ancient Gold being treated like a toy, and silently rolled its eyes.

This is at the host's house.

If this were outside, those awakened individuals would fight tooth and nail for that one gold coin!

"Brother, you're so kind!"

Jiang Xiaoyu hugged Jiang Li's arm and acted coquettishly.

"That's right, don't you even know who I am?"

Jiang Li basked in his sister's admiration, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was Su Qingge calling.

"Hey? Miss Su? Is something wrong so late?"

"Mr. Jiang..."

On the other end of the phone, Su Qingge's voice trembled slightly, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the shock.

"The monitoring station just sent a report... The energy fluctuations deep within the Misty Sea have suddenly disappeared."

"Huh?" Jiang Li was taken aback. "Wouldn't it be better if they disappeared?"

"It didn't disappear, it's just... that being seems to have been crippled and fallen back into slumber."

Su Qingge took a deep breath. "Mr. Jiang, did you... go to 'there' today?"

"Huh? You mean that dilapidated temple underwater?"

Jiang Li didn't hide anything, "I went, what happened?"

"..."

Su Qingge remained silent for a long time.

"No...it's nothing."

Her voice became extremely respectful, "I just wanted to remind you... that antique appreciation event tomorrow may have to be postponed again."

Why?

"Because... the experts in charge of the appraisal just heard that someone pulled a pillar out of the seabed, and they were so scared that they bought standing tickets and ran away overnight."

Jiang Li: "..."

Are the masters these days really that bad at mental fortitude?