Chapter 38: The Moon Shifts, the Sky Like a Painted Scroll

Curse Arrow.

Its lethality was not particularly high, but it carried powerful negative effects.

Furthermore, in most cases, it could directly penetrate an enemy's surface defenses.

Even the hardest shells would be bypassed, allowing the curse to seep directly into the body.

The effect was the same on armor; even if one were clad in plate, the curse would seep through the metal to touch the skin, taking hold.

And once the curse took effect...

*Rumble—*

A heavy, muffled thud echoed as the four legs of the [Hammer-Tail Horned Ox] buckled to the ground.

The Charge Pillar that had already been driven into its body sank even deeper.

It had lost most of its strength.

Lu Cang’s assessment of the Curse Arrow was that its weakening effect was potent enough to render a Tier 2 warrior as helpless as an infant.

Its defense-softening effect could make the flesh-armor of a Tier 2 Defender as easy to pierce as a sponge.

It seemed...

It worked just as effectively on Tier 3 monsters.

The heavy wall provided obstruction, the first wave of the Charge Pillar dealt impact, and the Curse Arrow provided debuffs.

After a single round of spells...

The [Hammer-Tail Horned Ox] was already in critical condition, forced to kneel on the ground waiting for death.

The rest was easy.

Lu Cang had no desire to torture creatures that held no grudge against him. An Ice Shuttle glided along the ground.

He circled around to the underside of the [Hammer-Tail Horned Ox]'s belly, which was propped up by the Charge Pillar!

*Bang!*

*Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang—*

Ice pierced through its body, wreaking havoc within its vitals.

Soon, the Hammer-Tail Horned Ox lost all movement.

It was completely devoid of life.

After killing it, Lu Cang stared at the corpse in thought for a moment.

*Hmm...*

It seemed Tier 3 Lord-level monsters weren't all that strong.

With his current strength, he could indeed kill them with ease.

However, he wondered what the strength of a Monarch-level monster would be.

In a Tier 2 dungeon, the strongest were the Lord-level monsters, which usually served as the floor bosses. Very few Tier 2 dungeons featured dual Lords.

But in a Tier 3 dungeon, the Lord-level was not necessarily the strongest.

There was a slim chance of encountering a Monarch-level monster. It was said that roughly thirty percent of adventure parties composed of Level 3 adventurers would be wiped out instantly upon encountering a Monarch of the same tier.

Of the remaining seventy percent who survived, most likely had members who perished...

That seventy percent didn't represent those who defeated the Monarch; it represented those who escaped.

Only a tiny fraction of Level 3 adventure parties—those who could not be included in the statistics—could face a Tier 3 Monarch head-on and emerge victorious.

Lu Cang glanced at his palm.

Having verified that he possessed the strength to defeat a Tier 3 Lord monster "relatively easily," it meant he could handle Tier 3 dungeons with a fair amount of composure.

Zhou Er returned with the spoils.

15 Gold.

A surprising profit... he wasn't sure whether to call it unexpected or expected.

Unexpectedly, according to books, a Tier 3 Lord's value after collection should be around 3 to 4 Gold.

Expectedly, since this was the Harvest Month, higher yields were only natural.

But this was a bit too extraordinary...

The value harvested was four to five times the usual amount.

Zhou Er’s voice was filled with emotion: "This year's Harvest Month feels much more bountiful than previous years."

Lu Cang asked curiously, "Wasn't it like this in previous years?"

Zhou Er shook his head. "At least not in Rain Town. Even when harvests increased in the past, we wouldn't often see yields multiply like this."

"Usually, a fifty percent increase is considered normal."

"In other words... this Tier 3 monster should have only yielded about 6 Gold."

6 Gold.

That was indeed a far cry from 15 Gold.

Zhou Er scratched the back of his head. "But today..."

"Is it because it's the beginning of the month?"

Lu Cang seemed to recall something Kumironi and the others had said before they left.

*"At the onset of the Moon-Star's transition, the influence is at its most concentrated..."*

Zhou Er nodded vigorously. "Yes, exactly!"

"That might be the reason."

"This year's harvest is exceptionally abundant. I wonder if Lord Yakatictor has personally descended upon the world..."

Lu Cang tilted his head, asking in confusion, "Personally descended?"

That wasn't in the books.

Oh, or perhaps it was, and he just hadn't seen it.

After all, the gap between this world and Earth was too vast; Lu Cang couldn't possibly read through all the common knowledge in a short amount of time.

There would always be things he hadn't encountered yet.

Regarding the Moon-Star, there were indeed many aspects Lu Cang had yet to understand...

At the time, fearing he would expose his lack of common knowledge, he hadn't asked much.

Later, through indirect inquiries, he discovered that many people in this world... didn't necessarily truly understand the world themselves.

Furthermore, given the massive cultural differences between continents, coming from an obscure, nameless country in a remote corner of the world meant he didn't really have to worry about being suspected.

To be honest... even if Lu Cang publicly claimed he had transmigrated from Earth, China, these people would likely just assume "Earth" was the name of a specific region on some continent in this world.

*Heh... I don't know what I've been so guarded about.*

However, following the principle of safety, Lu Cang did not easily reveal his true information.

Zhou Er gazed at the sky. The sun was gradually sinking toward the west.

But today's sky was exceptionally different from previous sunsets.

In the past, a sunset was merely the sun falling.

But today's sunset felt as if the entire sky were falling.

Following Zhou Er's gaze, Lu Cang finally noticed that the entire sky had begun to stretch like a canvas. Every feature in the sky was frozen in place, drifting toward the west, gradually disappearing beyond the horizon of the mountains.

The stars and the moon were pulled along with the eastern scenery; the positions of the stars remained fixed like a painting, merely panning along with the movement of the sky.

It was a magnificent spectacle.

Jidi poked her head out from the carriage. "The Painted Scroll: Celestial Shift."

"This is the unique celestial phenomenon that occurs when Yakatictor governs the Moon-Star. This phenomenon lasts for an entire month; it is my favorite sight of the year."

Celestial phenomena.

Different changes occurred alongside the transition of the Moon-Star that governed the months.

The phenomenon during Yakatictor's reign was that the entire sky moved like a scroll, as if an infinitely long painting were being unfurled.

Zhou Er looked up at the heavens with admiration. "I've heard that during the months belonging to the Moon-Star, they might personally descend to the world to observe the ways of humanity."

Lu Cang couldn't help but ask, "Is that just a legend, or does it actually happen?"

Zhou Er gave a self-deprecating smile. "Who knows?"

"I am only twenty-eight years old; I've only lived twenty-eight years, and I've never seen a true god."

"But since the legends have been passed down, they shouldn't be lies."