Chapter 105: Rainbow Keta Rō (Part 1)
Huai Yu looked at Keta Rō and suddenly got curious, “Do you eat any kind of leaves and twigs, or do you need specific fresh ones?”
This part of the wasteland had been cleared before. Aside from wild grass, there wasn’t much else.
Not far away, there was a small grove with some decayed trees, but it was eerily empty—barely suitable even for mushroom picking.
Huai Yu thought for a moment, then had a flash of inspiration, “How about… coming with me to Mount Sanqing tomorrow?”
There’s everything on the mountain. They should be able to find something Keta Rō really likes.
Keta Rō didn’t understand such a complicated question. It only knew Huai Yu was talking to it, so it instinctively stood upright, holding its brand new grape-sized ball, and fluttered its wings.
Huai Yu froze for a second, then laughed.
Keta Rō’s interactivity was unbeatable!
With this kind of companionship, no matter how strange it looked, it would eventually be accepted.
She carried her basket to the bamboo forest and brought Keta Rō along.
“Kuang Biao, Big Cub, Second Cub, we’ve got a new guest at home!”
As the words left her mouth, she suddenly paused.
“At home…”
Huai Yu thought about it and realized—her home really did feel lively now. And it made her happy.
Big Cub and Second Cub waddled over.
Now they were already taller than Keta Rō. Though they didn’t look fluffy and adorable like normal goslings, they had their own ugly-cute charm.
At least Huai Yu was used to them now.
“Ahhh ahhh…”
They were strolling in the bamboo grove and now came close to Keta Rō, gently poking its smooth, hard shell with their flat beaks.
Huai Yu’s heart leapt!
She was afraid if she didn’t react quickly, one of the geese might poke too hard.
But thankfully, they were well-behaved. They soon pulled their necks back, studied Keta Rō with their shiny black eyes, and strolled off to play elsewhere.
Keta Rō stayed silent. It looked down at the scattered bamboo shoot shells, leaves, and twigs on the ground. After circling a few times, it suddenly dropped down and got to work.
Huai Yu crouched down curiously to watch. Keta Rō used all six legs to scrape everything into little piles, then stuffed them into its mouth.
Its weird insect mouth chewed away non-stop. Before long, it spat out a bunch of pulp.
Then, with practiced front claws, it kneaded the pulp together with other bits into a ball the size of a soybean.
As its mouth kept chewing, its front claws never stopped forming the ball, which visibly grew bigger and bigger.
At that moment, Huai Yu had a very complicated expression.
She couldn’t imagine how Uncle Zaozi enjoyed drinking tea while holding one of those…
But—Keta Rō didn’t eat poop anymore, right?
People drink civet coffee. Why not drink from a ball Keta Rō made?
That’s prejudice!
She stared at Keta Rō for a while, then took a deep breath and quickly turned away.
Boss Tang was right not to make money from this. It’d be too hard to keep it up…
Just then, the bamboo leaves rustled—Kuang Biao seemed to have woken up.
“You brought home another weird thing again… Tsk, stop dragging random stuff into my bamboo grove.”
“I, the Supreme Kuang Biao—ow!”
One of the goslings had stretched its neck and knocked over a bamboo stalk with its beak.
Kuang Biao: “…”
Huai Yu couldn’t help raising both hands, “Big Cub, Second Cub! Mommy loves you so much—come here for a hug!”
The two sea-urchin geese ran over, their sharp bristle-like feathers harmless as long as she stroked them in the right direction. They obediently snuggled into her arms, “Ahhh ahhh…”
The happiness was overwhelmingly wonderful.
“Wow…” Huai Yu sighed in bliss, “Being loved unconditionally feels so good.”
A moment later, Keta Rō quietly came over too, holding a green ball in its front claws and offering it to her.
Huai Yu instinctively held out her hand. Keta Rō gently placed the green ball in her palm and stared at her silently.
She hesitated a moment, then softly said, “Then… Thank you, Keta Rō? Our Keta Rō is very adorable too.”
Keta Rō stood with dignified composure. Its back shell lifted slightly, revealing the thin golden wings beneath. After a flutter, it turned and left, satisfied.
Huai Yu: “…”
A moment later, she grabbed a bamboo twig, “Keta Rō, I’m harvesting bamboo shoots here. Go play on your own! Make whatever balls you want, but don’t play with poop, okay!”
She glanced at the two goslings who thoughtfully stretched their necks forward again, as if trying to snap the bamboo she was holding. Huai Yu quickly stopped them, “Let’s not break this one—Kuang Biao is already getting a little bald… Big Cub, Second Cub, we need sustainable development!”
Heaven help them—once upon a time, Kuang Biao’s bamboo grove was so densely packed with shoots that not even light could get through.
Now, the central clearing with the big nest aside, you could see rays of sunlight streaking through—just showing how bald it had become.
Tragic!
Bamboo would be so much better if it didn’t talk.
Huai Yu was in a good mood. She leisurely worked her way through the grove, collecting bamboo shoots all afternoon.
As for the broken bamboo stalks—no waste! Later she’d drag them home to build a new little hut for Keta Rō. Even the bamboo leaves could be used to line the floor—how perfect!
Kuang Biao was totally worth the hours she spent dragging him home in the dead of night.
By evening, Huai Yu had filled another basket with bamboo shoot tea. But when she got home, she found a pile of colorful balls outside her door.
Red, yellow, blue, purple, green…
Each ball wasn’t a single pure color but had swirls, specks, and threads mixed into it—like a fusion of various materials.
Honestly, they looked pretty nice.
Huai Yu couldn’t resist them at all!
Even though she saw how Keta Rō made them, she immediately wanted a big glass jar to carefully collect every one.
Grouped together in all their shades and hues, they looked like someone had scooped up a rainbow and mushed it into little spheres.
Keta Rō wasn’t back yet, so she went rummaging through her stash and found a recently washed and sun-dried glass pickle jar.
She began placing the Keta Rō balls inside one by one. Picking up a light purple ball, she curiously examined it, “What’s this one made from? Could Keta Rō’s real superpower be Rainbow Keta Rō?”
There was even a faint floral scent wafting from it.
—
Author’s Note:
More Keta Rō coming soon—he’s really important!
