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

Abyss Kitchen, Oily Swamp, Nameless Highlands.

At this moment, the Treant (World Tree Ark) looks like a giant fried dough ball that has just been pulled out of a frying pan.

The once golden leaves were now covered in black grease, and the gaps in the ship's armor were filled with sticky slime residue. Worst of all, the newly installed god-level heart from the Mechanicus—the [Perpetual Motion Core]—had completely stopped working.

"Cough cough... Boss... I can't take it anymore..."

Alice's (Ark's AI consciousness) voice sounded unusually weak, as if she had a mouthful of phlegm.

"The air intake is covered in oil... the heat sink is caked up..."

"My core rotation speed... has dropped from 100,000 revolutions per second... to 3 revolutions per second..."

"I think... I have high cholesterol... and coronary heart disease..."

Inside the cockpit, the red warning lights flickered faintly beneath a film of oil.

[WARNING! Severe powertrain malfunction.]

[Cause of the malfunction: The viscosity of the abyssal grease is too high, causing the "entropy increase" to be unable to be expelled.]

[Suggested solutions: Replace the engine, or... perform a thorough cleaning.]

……

"Cleaning?"

Nezha held a tattered cloth in his hand and painstakingly wiped the black grease off the window.

"How do I wash this?"

"This oil is stickier than glue! Rinsing it with water doesn't help at all!"

"I just tried using the Samadhi True Fire to heat it, and I almost melted the sealing ring!"

Sun Wukong also squatted on the deck, poking the exhaust pipe with his golden cudgel.

"Even poking won't work."

"There are more twists and turns in this than in my own intestines."

"Chef, this is a god-level engine! It's not going to be ruined like this, is it?"

"Don't rush."

Jiang Li circled the power furnace twice.

Instead of using a wrench like a mechanic, he placed his hand on the engine casing and closed his eyes to feel it, like an old Chinese medicine doctor.

"Um……"

"The pulse is slippery and rapid, indicating internal heat stagnation, which is a typical case of...food stagnation."

Simply put, it's... overeating and indigestion.

Jiang Li opened his eyes and patted the hood covered with a thick layer of grease.

"For a cook."

"There is no oil stain in this world that cannot be washed off."

"If dish soap doesn't work..."

"Then let's use... ingredients."

……

"Ergou!"

Jiang Li turned around and shouted at Er Gou (Chaos Devouring Dog), who was licking the grease off his paws.

"Stop licking it, that stuff is high in cholesterol."

"Go, smell it."

"Are there any plants around here that... smell incredibly sour, pungent, or even make your mouth water?"

"acid?"

Er Gou raised his head, his nostrils twitching.

In this swamp filled with the smell of decay and grease, searching for a hint of fresh sourness is like looking for perfume in a garbage dump.

But in the face of chaotic sense of smell, anything is possible.

"Slurp..."

Suddenly, Er Gou shuddered, and saliva uncontrollably dripped down his throat.

"Woof!"

"have!"

"In that direction!"

Er Gou pointed to a patch of grayish-white dead trees at the edge of the swamp.

"It has a smell... a hundred times more sour than Shanxi aged vinegar!"

"Just the smell makes my teeth ache!"

……

"This is it."

Jiang Li's eyes lit up.

"That is... [Abyssal Corruption Lemon]."

"Or perhaps... [Hell Tamarind]."

"Let's go! To gather herbs... no, I mean, to buy groceries!"

Jiang Li, accompanied by two henchmen (Wukong and Nezha) and a dog, trudged towards the withered forest.

The path here is a bit easier to walk on than in the center of the swamp because the ground has been corroded by some kind of strong acid, making it hard and like cement.

Before even entering the woods, a pungent, acidic odor hit us.

There was no oil in the surrounding air because all the grease that drifted here was decomposed by the acid gas in the air.

"So sour!"

Nezha covered his nose.

"My metallic skin is blistering!"

"This isn't a plant, it's clearly aqua regia!"

……

Take a closer look.

The trees in this forest are extremely grotesque.

The trunk was bone-white, and it was covered with fruits that were... dark green.

These fruits have rough skin and are shaped like shriveled human heads.

Some of the fruits were so ripe that a drop of green juice dripped down.

"Sizzle—"

The sap fell to the ground and instantly corroded a bottomless hole, from which puffs of white smoke rose.

[Ingredient: Abyssal Ghost Lemon]

[Level: Highly poisonous (if left untreated)]

Acidity: pH -5 (extremely strong acid).

[Description: A special plant that grows on the edge of heavy oil swamps. It is nature's cleaner, specifically designed to break down old, non-biodegradable oil.]

[Warning: Direct consumption may cause your stomach to rupture.]

……

"nice one!"

Jiang Li looked at these terrifying lemons as if he had found a treasure.

"This is the best... industrial cleaning agent."

"Great Sage, pick the fruit!"

"Be careful not to get the juice in your eyes!"

"Know!"

Wukong conjured a pair of golden gloves (made of concentrated magic) and carefully picked a dozen or so demon-faced lemons.

"Is this thing really edible?"

Looking at the smoking fruit in his hand, Wukong began to question the meaning of life.

"rest assured."

Jiang Li then found a few more red plants under the tree that looked like chili peppers.

[Ingredient: Sulfur-treated bird's eye chili.]

[Spiciness: Extremely spicy.]

[Benefits: Promotes sweating, detoxifies, and can even start an engine.]

Acids can dissolve fats and oils.

"Spicy food can unclog pipes."

"That's what you call... taking a two-pronged approach."

……

Return to the Tree Spirit.

Jiang Li set up the Klein pot.

"Alice, open the engine's feed inlet."

"Okay, boss... Ah... It feels so bad..."

Alice struggled to open a lid, revealing a dark, sticky mass of intricate gears inside.

"Bear with it."

Jiang Li comforted her.

"I'll give you a... thorough cleaning right away."

……

Cooking begins.

Location: The open space next to the Tree Spirit.

Step 1: Prepare the devil lemon.

Jiang Li did not cut it open directly because the juice was too dangerous.

He threw the whole lemon into the pot.

Add clean water (taken from the Ark's water tank).

"Nezha! Fire!"

"Boil these lemons until they're mushy!"

Gumbling--

As the water temperature rises, the peel of the devil lemon cracks.

The green liquid flowed out, instantly turning a pot of clear water into a fluorescent green.

An extremely strong sour smell rose into the air.

"Achoo!"

Er Gou sneezed, but instead of snot, he sneezed tears.

"It's so sour! It reminds me of my first love whom I never got to eat!"

Step 2: Add auxiliary ingredients.

Jiang Li chopped up the few sulfur-treated chili peppers and threw them into the pot.

I also added a handful of ginger slices (to dispel cold).

There were also a few stalks of lemongrass dug out of the swamp (although they were a bit moldy, they could still be used after washing).

"This recipe..."

Tang Sanzang watched from the side.

"It looks a bit like... Tom Yum soup?"

"That's right."

Jiang Li nodded.

"It's Tom Yum Goong."

"It's just... the industrial heavy metal version."

Step 3: Prepare the "solvent".

Simmer over high heat for half an hour.

The broth in the pot had thickened to a dark green, with a layer of red chili oil floating on the surface.

It was rolling and roaring.

Every drop of the broth contains enough acidity and spiciness to dissolve steel.

"alright."

Jiang Li poured out a large bucket.

"This is... [Abyssal Strong Acid Degreasing Soup]."

……

Treatment begins.

Jiang Li carried the bucket and climbed onto the hood of the engine.

"Alice, open your mouth (open the valve)."

"It might be a little...exciting."

slam-la-

A large bucket of scalding hot, sour, and steaming soup was poured directly into the interior of the Perpetual Motion Core.

"Sizzle————————!!!!!"

A violent reaction sound instantly came from inside the engine.

That's the sound of strong acid meeting heavy oil.

That was the sound of carbon deposits being dissolved.

"ah!!!!"

Alice let out a scream.

"So sour! So spicy! So hot!"

"My core... is burning!"

Followed by.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The exhaust pipe at the tail of the Treant began to vibrate violently.

then.

"puff--"

A jet of shiny black, extremely viscous waste oil was sprayed out.

It sprayed for hundreds of meters.

"That felt so good!"

Alice's voice suddenly became clear and melodious.

"It's connected!"

"It's all cleared!"

"My heatsink is clean! My gears are running smoothly!"

"RPM...restored! 100%!"

Buzz————

The perpetual motion core emitted a joyful roar.

The oil stains on the surface of the ark also fell off during the vibration, revealing the original golden armor.

……

"call……"

Jiang Li wiped his sweat.

"The surgery was a success."

He looked at the pot, which still contained more than half a pot of soup.

"This soup is a bit sour."

"But for those of us who have been soaking in this greasy swamp for half a day..."

"But... it's a miracle cure for greasiness."

Jiang Li added some oily shrimp (a type of shrimp with an oily shell but tender meat) that he had caught from the swamp to the pot.

There are also a few pieces of white mushrooms.

I cooked it for another five minutes.

An enticing, tangy aroma wafted out.

The sour smell was no longer pungent, but instead became refreshing and appetizing.

The spiciness was no longer intense, but instead became warm and invigorating.

[Dish Name: Abyss-Style Strong Acid Degreasing Tom Yum Goong (Tom Yum Engine Cleaner)]

[Grade: Industrial cleaning grade (also food grade).]

[Description: Utilizing the strong acid of the devil's face lemon and the intense heat of sulfur-treated chili peppers, this remedy is specifically designed to cure all kinds of greasy, indigestion. It can cleanse both the engine and the stomach.]

[Taste: So sour it'll distort your facial features, so spicy it'll make you sweat profusely. One bite and it feels like all the old, greasy stuff in your esophagus has been scraped clean.]

[Benefits: Relieves "heavy oiliness" debuff. Cleanses the digestive system (physically). Boosts acid resistance.]

……

"Here, have some soup!"

Jiang Li served everyone a bowl.

"After we finish this bowl of soup, we won't have to worry about the oil river ahead."

Wukong picked up the bowl, smelled it, and his face scrunched up like a bun.

"This stuff...is it really drinkable?"

"I was a little panicked when I saw the engine belching out black smoke."

"Great Sage, believe me."

Jiang Li took a big gulp first.

"Hiss—ha—"

Jiang Li shuddered.

"Cool!"

"This is so incredibly tangy! I can't believe it!"

Seeing this, Wukong also tried taking a sip.

"Hmm!"

His monkey fur instantly bristled.

acid!

Extreme acidity!

It's like countless ants dancing on the tip of your tongue.

But then...

The spiciness surged up.

It instantly dispelled the lingering, rotten taste of the swamp in my mouth.

"Delicious!"

Wukong shouted and finished the whole bowl.

"I feel... my sharp eyes have become much clearer!"

……

Nezha, Er Gou, and Tang Sanzang also joined the soup-drinking army.

"Woof woof! This soup is awesome!"

Er Gou drank while shedding tears.

"I think my stomach can digest stones now!"

After Tang Sanzang finished drinking, a layer of golden light emanated from his whole body (actually, it was heat).

"Amitabha."

"All flavors of life, from sweet to sour, bitter to spicy, are forms of spiritual practice."

"This bowl of soup has cooled down my... CPU."

……

I finished a bowl of Tom Yum soup.

Everyone has fully recovered.

The discomfort, nausea, and greasiness I felt when I first arrived in the abyss all disappeared.

Instead, there is a feeling of...refreshment and lightness.

Even the Tree Demon became glittering with gold, like a sports car that had just taken a bath.

"Set off!"

Jiang Li jumped into the cockpit.

"Target: Black Iron Pot City!"

"Go register!"

boom----!!!

The newly renovated Treant spews forth clear blue flames.

It rose directly from the swamp.

It is no longer bound by those sticky muds.

It flew low over the black swamp like a nimble swallow.

It's no longer oil stains that are stirred up.

Instead, there were two white... acidic mist waves.

……

It flew about two hundred kilometers.

Finally, a huge outline appeared on the horizon ahead.

That was a... city.

A city with an extremely unique and spectacular design.

It was built on a huge, dormant volcano.

The city's overall shape resembles an inverted black iron pot.

At the top of the city, billowing black smoke and red flames rose.

That was the "smoke cloud" formed by countless stoves being lit simultaneously.

Even though we're so far apart.

Jiang Li could also smell the scent carried by the wind...

Extremely complex, extremely chaotic, yet extremely alluring...

The aroma of food.

It has the smoky aroma of roasted meat, the spiciness of spices, the sweet and pungent smell of seafood, and also a certain indescribable putrid stench.

Location: Black Iron Pot City.

[Alternative titles: Abyss Diner / Chef's Graveyard / Foodie's Paradise.]

[Slogan: Here, if you can't cook, then you are the dish.]

……

"arrive."

Jiang Li looked at the enormous iron pot city.

The Occam's razor (chef's knife) in my hand trembled slightly.

It's as if I sensed it...

Countless colleagues in the city... are sharpening their knives.

"Black Iron Pot City..."

"I am coming."

"Ready..."

"Are you ready for a spectacular show?"