Chapter 103: Outside the World
Keta Rō was surprisingly obedient.
It was holding the black ball in its arms, its whole body encased in a glossy shell. Against the light, it appeared black, but under different angles, it shimmered with hues of inky blue or an odd fluorescent moss green.
Its two front claws cradled the round ball… Huai Yu wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but the ball seemed bigger than the one they brought back last time.
Its remaining four legs steadily supported its body. Right now, it allowed Boss Tang to lift it and place it into the basket bag without resistance—compliant and silent.
This time, Huai Yu really couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
Boss Tang kept rambling, though not to Huai Yu, but to Keta Rō, “Our Keta Rō is really so well-behaved… And it doesn’t even talk. What if it feels wronged?”
“Keta Rō, I’m not abandoning you, don’t be sad… It’s just that May Day is coming! You understand Labor Day, right? Everyone’s got to work, the market’s closing… I have no choice…”
“We’re a sacred beetle after all. Don’t worry about Little Sister Huai Yu—she’s a good person. She won’t treat you badly! Follow her, eat well, drink well…”
“Honestly, it’s all Gaoming’s fault… He has zero sense of responsibility! Always messing with weird things! Nothing ever works out…”
Huai Yu stood by, listening, speechless.
She slung the basket over her back, feeling the intense gaze from Boss Tang—it was a bit too much. She finally asked, “Labor Day… we really have to work?”
As someone from the mountains, she honestly didn’t know!
“Well, of course.” Boss Tang still looked mournful, but his tone was matter-of-fact. “Early May isn’t too hot yet, and the temperature difference between day and night isn’t so big. It’s perfect for plant growth, so of course we need to farm more and reclaim land.”
“After all, the climate’s been unstable. Late spring chills often hit in March and April… You remember, right? You were still wearing a padded coat in mid-month.”
Huai Yu did remember, but she didn’t know much about common knowledge—she’d just thought she was weak and cold!
So spring chills could drag into April?
“Well, it is what it is. The environment was unstable even before the cataclysm—snow in April or May wasn’t rare, and we were always worried about food… Now that the cataclysm has come, life is harder, but the weather’s actually become more stable.”
“Scientists say it’s because of massive mutations in plants and animals, which reconstructed the human-dominated food chain… But why am I telling you all this…”
But Huai Yu leaned in with interest. “Tell me! My family never explains this stuff, so I don’t understand it.”
Boss Tang seemed to understand. “If I had a daughter, I’d protect her too… Oh, my poor Keta Rō…”
He glanced reluctantly at Keta Rō, clearly not wanting Huai Yu to leave so soon, so he continued, “There’s not much to say. Back when plants started mutating heavily, many could communicate—even speak… You know our country’s approach: ‘if unnecessary, don’t act first.’”
“When the world held a summit, we suggested discussing things—don’t act rashly. We’ve already suffered from the poor environment over the years… but they didn’t listen!”
“Some launched nukes, some set fires… You know the ‘Lungs of the World’—that massive forest? They bombed it, but couldn’t destroy it. Set fire to it, couldn’t burn it all.”
“In the end, a massive strangling vine grew, overtook the whole city, and even allied with several animal groups…”
Then he suddenly remembered: “Didn’t the organization show everyone the final footage of that strangling vine?”
“You didn’t watch it?”
Huai Yu remained expressionless, “I wasn’t paying attention at the time.”
“Oh.” Boss Tang didn’t mind, just sighed. “Anyway, our country kept resisting and farming at the same time—for the future, you know.”
“Now that life’s relatively stable again, it’s Labor Day—so everyone’s got to do their part!”
Huai Yu nodded. She had gained a bit more understanding about the world outside of Xia Country and felt satisfied, “Mm-hmm, I get it now! So—I can take Keta Rō back?”
She looked at Boss Tang, seeking confirmation in her gaze.
Boss Tang’s nose twitched with emotion. “Keta Rō…”
Huai Yu: …
Come on, it’s not that serious! Really, it’s not!
She quickly strapped on her basket, said goodbye, and left.
Keta Rō was incredibly quiet.
And not too heavy either—quite light, in fact. To bring it back, Huai Yu had come to the trading market for the first time, but ended up buying nothing.
Now she held the basket in her arms, cautiously following the crowd onto the bus.
Probably because of the upcoming Labor Day, the whole bus was packed with people carrying all sorts of things.
Huai Yu couldn’t find a seat and was squeezed among the crowd, holding the basket tightly with both arms, especially worried someone might lift the cover.
Luckily, everyone else had their hands full too. Though people jostled around and bodies swayed, the basket inevitably tilted this way and that.
But as Huai Yu listened intently with concern, she didn’t notice any noise or movement from Keta Rō.
It made her want to peek under the cover and check.
As she straightened up after another lurch of the bus, she recalled Boss Tang’s reluctant gaze as she left, and suddenly… She understood a little.
That is to say, no matter what Keta Rō looked like, if a pet was this well-behaved, it was really hard not to feel fond of it!
Then she thought about her rebellious creatures at home…
Huai Yu: “…”
She started to seriously consider—could it be that this Gaoming really was brilliant at taming mutant creatures?
Whether it was the two newly hatched, already obedient baby geese—maybe they’d received some prenatal education in the egg? Or Keta Rō now… all very sensible.
She wondered if he could train plants too?
If there was a chance, she’d definitely invite him over to discipline Kuang Biao. That bamboo-mouthed thing—what a disaster!
And those two barnyard trees.
The filtering one still tirelessly worked, but if Huai Yu got too close, it would purposely splash her with water.
As for the smaller one meant to purify—still hadn’t shown any signs of doing anything useful.
She kept thinking—maybe the power it was given wasn’t enough?
Just purifying water wasn’t good enough? Maybe they were supposed to work in tandem?
But even one mischievous filter tree was enough—if there were another…
She gave it some thought and decided to pin her hopes on Big Cub and Second Cub instead.
After all, their beaks could do some serious damage—if something didn’t behave, just peck it a few more times!
Now… where should she keep Keta Rō after getting home? Though she had 600 acres of land, she actually used very little of it.
And while she did feel sympathy for it, she wasn’t quite ready to share her house with Keta Rō yet!
So… maybe she could build a small shed next to the chicken coop? Would Boss Tang feel sad if he found out?
But hey! Keta Rō was still useful, after all.
