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

Jianghai City, Old Wharf.

Although it was late at night, the dock was still brightly lit. The Black Pearl was undergoing final loading of supplies in preparation for the upcoming interstellar voyage.

Boxes of freshly marinated "Braised Abyssal Giant Bamboo Shoots" (Is human flesh) were carried into the cold storage by the Deep Ones, the air filled with the unique fragrance of bamboo shoots and the spiciness of red oil.

"Be gentle! That's our rations for the journey! Don't spill the soup!"

Wang Ergou directed the porters, while he himself tucked two freshly cooked bamboo shoots into his pocket, occasionally sneaking a bite with a look of pure bliss. Eating too much of this stuff really did boost his brainpower; he felt he could now mentally calculate tens-digit multiplication without a calculator.

On the deck, Jiang Li was holding the Star Compass he had pried off the elder of the Issian people, gesturing towards the sky.

"Brain, how do you use this thing? There's no instruction manual."

On the control panel, Mi Go's brain emitted a buzzing electrical sound: "Boss, this is a psycho-sensing device. You just need to inject your mental energy into it, think about your destination, and it will automatically plan a safe route to avoid the 'Space-Time Reef' and the 'Ancient God's Dream'."

"So intelligent? Mind navigation?"

Jiang Li tried to hold the compass, and the image of Mars' bright red glow appeared in his mind.

"Buzz—"

The compass needle (actually a suspended light needle) spun several times before steadily pointing to a point in the night sky. At the same time, a complex star map was projected directly onto the Black Pearl's control screen.

"That's it!"

Jiang Li was overjoyed and slammed the compass onto the control panel.

"Everyone aboard! Big Yellow, go get that last case of beer! We're going to Mars for a barbecue!"

……

"Boom—!!!"

With the roar of the antimatter engine, the revamped Black Pearl rose into the air once again.

This time, its hull is not only covered with transparent crystal armor, but also wrapped with coils of spider silk brought back from the Cold Plains, providing both bulletproof protection and warmth. The two newly replaced lightning guns (igniters) on the bow flicker with eerie blue arcs of electricity, exuding a formidable aura.

The spacecraft broke through the atmosphere and entered the vast expanse of space.

"Wow...this is the universe..."

Lei Meng leaned against the porthole, gazing at the deep darkness and the dazzling starry sky outside, forgetting to wipe the large black pot in his hand.

"Stop sighing, hurry up and set the pot up."

Jiang Li sat on the captain's chair, holding a bag of sunflower seeds in his hand.

"It'll be a while before we get to Mars, so let's grab some supper first. Slice some bamboo shoots and get some snake meat pieces, then we'll make a hot pot."

"Okay, boss!"

So, on the way to Mars, the Black Pearl's cabins were filled with the aroma of hot pot. Even a few Star Essences (air jellyfish) that were passing by were so tempted that they clung to the windows and refused to leave. In the end, Jiang Li casually grabbed them and made them into cold dishes.

……

After a long journey (actually only a few hours with the sub-light speed engine), a huge red planet came into view.

Mars.

From space, it looks like a giant iron ball covered in rust, its surface pitted and covered with a thick layer of red dust.

"Is this Mars?"

Jiang Li leaned against the window, looking disgusted.

"This is way too dry! It looks like it's been sprinkled with chili powder."

"Boss, that's iron oxide," Liu Wei explained from the side.

"I don't care what kind of iron it is, I just know this place is definitely short of water."

Jiang Li pointed to the two poles of the planet, where white ice caps covered the area.

"Didn't that idiot say there's a reservoir down there? Let's land there!"

Black Pearl adjusted its attitude and swooped down toward the ice cap at the Martian north pole.

As we descended, a red storm swept over us. The sandstorms here were even more violent than those in Earth's deserts, the sand pelting against the shield with a crackling sound.

"Thump!"

The spaceship landed steadily on the ice sheet.

The ice here has an eerie dark red color, as if what's frozen underneath isn't water, but blood.

"Open the door! Get to work!"

Jiang Li put on the Spider Silk Thermal Underwear and jumped off the ship with Da Huang and the crew.

The gravity here is less than on Earth, so you can jump several meters high with just a little effort.

"Everyone be careful, don't drift away!"

Jiang Li stomped his foot, the ice beneath his feet as hard as iron.

"Old Liu, get the drill! Let's see if there are any fish down there!"

Liu Wei took out the [Mi-Go High-Frequency Particle Cutter].

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The blue beam of light pierced the ice, instantly melting a large hole.

The group looked down into the cave, but it was bottomless, and they could only hear the faint sound of liquid flowing.

"I can hear water!"

Wang Ergou shouted excitedly, "Boss! There really is a reservoir!"

"Drop the hook!"

Jiang Li took out the dragon tendon fishing rod, hooked a large piece of bloody dinosaur meat onto it, and threw it in.

However, after the hook was in the water for a long time, there was no movement at all.

"Strange, are there no fish?"

Jiang Li frowned. "That shouldn't be the case. In such an extremely cold place, there should be cod with particularly thick layers of fat."

Just then.

"Glug... Glug..."

Suddenly, a boiling sound came from the bottom of the cave.

Immediately afterwards, a burst of scorching red light shot out from the cave entrance, accompanied by a strong smell of sulfur and... coke?

"It's so hot! Is this water boiling?!"

Liu Wei was so suffocated by the heat that he kept backing away.

"boiling water?"

Jiang Li's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! Saves me the trouble of boiling water! This is a natural hot pot broth!"

"BOOM—!!!"

The ice layer suddenly cracked.

A massive pillar of fire shot into the sky, and within it, a mysterious being draped in a black cloak, engulfed in green flames, and with a constantly shifting shadow on its face, slowly ascended into the air.

【Vorvadoss】

One of the Great Old Ones, known as the "Disruptor of the Sands," the "Watcher of the Outer Darkness," and also called the "Burner." It is not entirely of the evil alignment, but being awakened at this time, it is clearly in a bad mood.

"Who... disturbed my slumber...?"

Wovados's voice was like the crackling of burning charcoal, with a popping sound and high temperature.

"Are they those greedy Yugos fungi? Or those foolish snake people?"

It lowered its head, its eyes burning with flames, and looked at the little insect on the ice.

"Huh? A human?"

Vovados paused for a moment.

How could humans possibly end up on Mars? And with... a fishing rod?

"Hey! That thing on fire!"

Jiang Li held the fishing rod and pointed it at the Vovados in the air.

"Are you the manager of this reservoir? I'd like to ask if fishing is allowed here? How much does it cost?"

Vovados: "..."

administrator?

fishing?

"Insolence! I am the Guardian of the Stars! The embodiment of fire!"

With a roar, the flames on his body surged instantly, transforming into countless fire snakes that swept towards Jiang Li and the others.

"Feel the primordial rage of the universe!"

The surrounding temperature instantly soared to several thousand degrees, and the ice began to melt and evaporate rapidly.

"Wow! What a huge fire!"

Wang Ergou was so frightened that he hid behind the shield of the Black Pearl.

But Jiang Li did not dodge.

He looked at the green flames rushing towards him, but instead of being afraid, he...sniffed.

"This fire... doesn't seem to produce much smoke? Is it eco-friendly charcoal?"

He pulled the Cauldron of Gluttony from his pocket.

"Perfect timing! My pot is a little undercooked; the soup is simmering too slowly. Since you're so kind, could I borrow your fire?"

Jiang Li aimed the cauldron at the sea of ​​fire that filled the sky.

"suck!"

"Buzz—"

The Cauldron of Gluttony unleashed its power once more. That vortex, capable of devouring even space itself, was like a starving ghost seeing braised pork when faced with these high-energy flames.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

The green divine fire, powerful enough to melt steel, was sucked into the cauldron like noodles, turning into an ever-burning flame at the bottom of the cauldron.

"What?!"

Vovadas was shocked.

Its very source of fire was swallowed up by a pot?!

"What kind of magical artifact is that?!"

"This is a cooking pot!"

Jiang Li shouted, "Big Yellow! Go! Drag that 'black charcoal head' down! It looks pretty much like a piece of top-quality anthracite!"

"Woof!"

Big Yellow had long disliked that ball of fire (it was too hot and burned his paws).

With a flash, using Tindaros's dimensional leaping ability, it appeared directly behind Volvados's cloak and bit down on the hem of his garment.

"Sizzle!"

The cloak was torn, revealing a body beneath that was as black as charcoal, yet flowing with blood like magma.

"This meat... seems a bit tough, it's all carbonized."

Jiang Li commented.

"However, this 'charred' look would definitely make it burn longer when used as charcoal for grilling!"

He threw down his fishing rod and pulled out the Poseidon Trident from behind his back.

"Since we're playing with fire, let's cool it down with water!"

"Wrath of the Sea God! Water Gun!"

Jiang Li brandished his trident.

Although there is no sea here, the trident possesses the divine power to summon water elementals.

"Splash—"

A huge column of water appeared out of nowhere and poured heavily onto Vovados's head.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

When water and fire meet, a large amount of steam is instantly released.

"Ah!!! Water! Damn water!"

Vovados hated water, especially this divine seawater. Most of its flames were extinguished, leaving it drenched... no, more like a drowned rat.

It landed awkwardly on the ice, trying to burrow back underground.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Lei Meng rushed up with the big black pot in his hand, and like putting a lid on it, slammed it down on Wovados with a "bang".

"Boss! Got it! But this thing's too hot, the pan's red-hot!"

"It's hot enough! That means the heat is high!"

Jiang Li ran over, stepped on the bottom of the pot, and firmly pinned down Wovados, who was trying to lift the pot.

"Do you submit? If not, I'll pour cold water into the pot!"

A muffled sound came from under the pot:

"I give up... I give up... Don't pour water... It'll explode..."

"That's right."

Jiang Li opened a crack and looked inside at the little fireman curled up in a ball.

"I see you have good fire control skills. My restaurant happens to be short of an 'executive chef'... specifically in charge of the barbecue station. Would you like to give it a try?"

"I...I am a Great Old One..."

"So what if they're Great Old Ones? My security guard is an S-rank Dragon King! My waiter is a Deep One!"

Jiang Li said dismissively.

"With me, we don't care about background, only skills! Meals and accommodation included, plus five social insurances and one housing fund!"

Vovados: "..."

It looked at the terrifying human, then at the still-dripping trident.

What else can it say?

"I...damn it."

Thus, Deep Blue Seafood Restaurant gained another flame-splattered individual, dedicated to lighting cigarettes and grilling meat for customers—the "Flame Master."

……

Having subdued "Black Charcoal Head," Jiang Li did not forget his main task.

"Now that the administrator has taken care of it, what about the fish in the reservoir?"

Jiang Li walked to the large, melted hole.

Volvados (currently in his Fireman form) floated over and explained solicitously:

"Boss, what's down there isn't actually water. It's a mixture of liquid methane and ancient red algae, and a unique Martian organism lives inside—the Martian flesh sunflower (a companion organism of Vulthoom)."

"Meatballs?"

Jiang Li looked down.

Floating in the red liquid were enormous plants... or animals? They resembled sunflowers, but were made of flesh. They had thick leaves and mouths that spewed out liquid.

"This thing... looks like a sea anemone, and also like a meat-shaped Ganoderma lucidum."

Jiang Li used his trident to spear one of them.

"Pfft!"

The mulberry was skewered, still dripping with red juice.

"The texture...it's like tripe!"

Jiang Li squeezed it, "And these layers are all meat! If you put this in a hot pot, the texture would be absolutely crispy!"

"This isn't meat broth, it's clearly Martian tripe!"

"Quick! Hurry! A bumper harvest! Scoop it all up! Fill it up!"

……

After a thorough search, the Black Pearl's cargo hold was filled with tens of tons of "Martian tripe".

Jiang Li stood on the Martian ice cap, looking at the blue Earth, and sighed.

"The universe may be vast, but you still have to discover the best food yourself."

"Boss, shouldn't we head back now?"

Wang Ergou was shivering from the cold (although he was wearing thermal underwear, he was still cold in his heart).

"Go back? No rush."

Jiang Li shook his head.

"Since we're already here, we should at least bring back some souvenirs for our friends on Earth."

He pointed to the red earth beneath his feet.

"This Martian soil looks like chili powder, and I heard it's rich in iron? Let's take a few tons back!"

"And those stones, they look quite red. They'd look great used as landscaping in the fish tank!"

Just then.

Migo, who had been pretending to be dead, suddenly felt a jolt of alarm in his brain.

"Boss! Unidentified signal detected!"

"From...the direction of Jupiter!"

"Jupiter?"

Jiang Li looked up into the depths of the starry sky.

"What's there...?"

"According to the star map... a gigantic gaseous city seems to be hidden within Jupiter's Great Red Spot storm. And... the signal contains some kind of... whale song?"

"A whale? A space whale?"

Jiang Li's eyes suddenly lit up with an alarming brightness.

"I knew it! There must be a giant fish in the universe!"

"That thing called... [Kun]? Does it live there?"

He grabbed his brain.

"Mark the coordinates! We'll go there for our next team building activity!"

"But let's go home first, sell this batch of tripe, and get some cash back!"

……

The Black Pearl, laden with its bounty, took off and left Mars.

But beneath the ice caps of Mars.

A gigantic, plant-like ancient god, Vulthoom, which had been sleeping deep within, slowly opened its eyes.

It looked at the departing spaceship, then at its own "vegetable garden" that had been completely plucked (the sunflowers had been pulled out), and its tentacles trembled slightly.

"That jinx... is finally gone..."

It breathed a sigh of relief, rolled over, and decided to sleep for another ten thousand years.

I absolutely cannot let him find out... Actually, my roots are quite delicious too (like yams).

……

Back to Earth.

Deep Blue Seafood Restaurant has once again caused a sensation.

【Mars Supreme Tripe Hot Pot】

The base is made with the divine fire of [Vovados], the soup base is the bone broth of [Drilling Demon Worm], the main dish is [Martian Meat Sunflower], and the dipping sauce is [Screaming Garlic] and [Abyss Demon Eggplant] sauce.

After this meal, the diners not only ate until they were covered in sweat, but some even awakened fire-type superpowers on the spot and breathed out a mouthful of fire.

"This is amazing! This is what real hot pot should be like!"

"Boss! Another plate of tripe, the kind with the thorns!"

Seeing how booming the business was, Jiang Li sat in his office, grinning from ear to ear.

But what he didn't know was...

His "cross-border sourcing" has attracted the attention of some ancient and indescribable beings deep within the universe.

At the far center of the Milky Way.

The blind and foolish god, Azathoth, who was churning in chaos, seemed to drool a drop of saliva in his dream?

Because it smelled... an enticing aroma of food.