Shuangyue City, as the capital of the Yunyue Kingdom, had a curfew that extended an hour later than other places.
At this time, the city's common folk, having finished their meals, were strolling through the streets.
The streets were illuminated by countless lanterns, so there was no issue with visibility.
Since the downfall of Prime Minister Chen Yuanliang and Chu Chen's promotion to Second Prime Minister, assisting the Empress in governing the Yunyue Kingdom, the lives of the capital's citizens had visibly improved.
If nothing else, the addition of thirty thousand Imperial Guards alone, along with their families, constituted a significant consumer group.
Furthermore, during the day, many wealthy merchants in the city had hired a large number of people to transport goods, which had stimulated a wave of temporary employment, giving more people money to spend and contributing to the brightly lit nights of Shuangyue City.
Of course, the most bustling businesses were naturally the inns and the various pleasure houses on Hongchen Street.
The inns' booming business was entirely due to the emergence of a new profession: storytellers.
Most of the common folk were illiterate and couldn't understand the written words in the Yunyue Gazette. However, the stories of "A Chinese Ghost Story" printed within, along with other tales inspired by it and written by scholars, provided the best and most affordable entertainment for the populace.
Gathering two or three friends, ordering a pot of wine and a dish or two, they would listen to the exciting stories told by the storytellers.
The fatigue of the day seemed to vanish at this time, and people would relax, cheering or laughing along with the crowd, or discussing the content of the stories.
Just then, the sky above Shuangyue City suddenly changed.
It wasn't even the fifteenth of the Mid-Autumn Festival yet, and the moon in the sky was not at its fullest or closest. Yet, for some reason, tonight it had become large and round, appearing as if it were about to descend to the mortal realm.
"Huh? Why does the light feel a bit off? It's like there's sunlight above my head."
"Haha, Old Man Wu, I think you've had too much Huangniao wine and can't tell the difference between candlelight and sunlight?"
"Nonsense! My shadow has shrunk to my feet, how can I not tell the difference between candlelight and sunlight?"
"Uh~ it does seem a bit bright?"
The first two to notice something was wrong looked up at the sky and were immediately stunned by the large, round moon.
"Look at the sky! Such a big, round moon! What's going on? Why is such an anomaly occurring?" Old Man Wu shouted in alarm.
His voice attracted the attention of those around him, who also looked up at the sky.
In an instant, exclamations of shock erupted one after another.
The sound spread, drawing more people to look up at the sky. Even the citizens inside their homes and the guests in the inns were drawn out, all looking up at the heavens.
"This, this strange phenomenon, is it a good omen or a bad one?"
"Wife, do you think the moon is getting closer? I'm a bit worried it might fall down?"
In the Qianqing Palace of the Imperial Palace, the Empress, who had not yet slept, frowned at the noisy sounds outside the hall and ordered someone to investigate the cause.
A moment later, the wet nurse returned with a look of terror. "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! An abnormal celestial phenomenon has appeared in the sky!"
"An abnormal celestial phenomenon?"
The Empress's brow furrowed even tighter. She rose and walked to the hall entrance, looking up at the sky. Her eyes immediately contracted, and she was utterly shocked.
In the Prime Minister's mansion, Chu Chen was diligently cultivating when he heard the servants discussing in the courtyard.
Frowning, he walked out of his room. Just as he was about to scold them, he clearly heard their exclamations.
He raised his head slightly and looked at the sky.
Chu Chen was completely stunned. "This... what is going on? How can the moon be so huge? It's the size of a house! Is the moon of this world going to fall?"
To be honest, Chu Chen was terrified by the colossal moon. Even though he had seen a "red moon" in his previous life, he had never seen a moon so large that it appeared to be hundreds of meters across with the naked eye. This was truly terrifying, and it was hard not to imagine it falling.
If that were to happen, perhaps ninety-nine percent of all life on the entire Qingzhou Continent would perish.
"Damn it, System Daddy, save me!"
Chu Chen cried out in his heart, his fear prompting him to open the system's exchange shop and browse, hoping to find an unowned talent that could deal with this situation.
Such an anomaly was not confined to the Yunyue Kingdom.
The Chu, Qin, Qi, Yan, Zhao, Liao, Chen, and Shu states, as well as the nomadic tribes on the vast northern grasslands, all witnessed the phenomenon of a huge, round moon at the same time.
Their people, just like the people of Yunyue, were all terrified and in a state of panic, not knowing what to do.
In reality, every corner of the Qingzhou Continent, whether inhabited or uninhabited, saw the celestial anomaly.
"What on earth is going on? Could this be the consequence of opening that mysterious little black box?"
Chu Chen felt a sense of regret. If he had known this would happen, he probably wouldn't have opened that damned thing.
Just as everyone thought the moon in the sky would continue to grow larger until it fell to the ground.
The round moon, after expanding to a size of a thousand meters, stopped its growth. Although it still hung in the sky above everyone's heads, causing unease, it at least somewhat alleviated their fear.
The various kingdoms seized this opportunity to quickly dispatch personnel to calm the panic among the populace and suppress any individuals who took advantage of the situation to commit crimes.
Half an incense stick later, after issuing a series of commands, Chu Chen stood in the courtyard of the administrative platform, looking up at the sky.
Just as he was contemplating whether to try his luck with a draw to see if he could resolve this problem, Chu Chen suddenly heard the sound of water.
"Water sound? But this is inland! Could it be!"
Chu Chen looked closely and saw that within the originally bright, round moon, a patch of black had appeared. This blackness was expanding, showing a tendency to spread across the entire moon.
"Water sound, such a huge and terrifying moon, could this be... Emperor's Flowing Sap?"
"How could this thing appear? This Qingzhou Continent has never experienced... Wait, could this be the effect of opening that little black box?"
Chu Chen's eyes widened as he stared intently at the super-sized moon, his thoughts racing.
It wasn't just Chu Chen who saw it; everyone on the Qingzhou Continent saw the blackness spreading within the moon.
In just a short while, it had already covered more than half of the moon. The sound of rushing waves echoed from above, resounding from top to bottom.
Apart from Chu Chen, the people of the Qingzhou Continent had no idea what this was. They only knew that something was about to emerge from the moon, and their fear intensified.
When the tide reached seven-tenths of the moon, a strange, white-glowing rain began to fall across the entire Qingzhou Continent.
A large amount of this white-glowing rain fell upon the land, drenching countless people, plants, and animals.
While humans felt no different from ordinary rain when wet, the various wild animals immediately sensed the benefits and roared excitedly, welcoming the feast.
Even the plants, flowers, and trees moved as if in a dance under the downpour, despite the absence of wind.