What's wrong with this tree?
So angry it can't even speak properly?
Facing the French plane tree that looked like it had seen a ghost, Liu Zheng was utterly puzzled.
"Li... this skeleton is Li, that legendary deliveryman."
The French plane tree shouted.
"What?!"
Liu Zheng looked at the skeleton in shock as the item description immediately appeared.
"Name: Legendary Deliveryman's Skeleton"
"Type: Miscellaneous Item"
"Quality: Legendary""Effect: None"
"Note: Legendary deliveryman Li—during his lifetime, he delivered both delicious food and terror to countless property owners and security guards. The entire Bloody Restaurant yielded to his delivery fists. However, he ultimately failed."
"Can Be Taken Out of Dungeon: No"
The legendary deliveryman was actually already dead.
Liu Zheng was shocked by this news.
Didn't Bullhorse say he was still alive? Was it lying, or did it simply not know the truth?
Wait, Bullhorse was only guessing he was still alive and didn't actually know his true whereabouts.
If this was the legendary deliveryman's skeleton, then who was Ghost Hand?
The legendary deliveryman's hand?
And what did the note mean by "failed"?
A series of questions flooded Liu Zheng's mind, but with too little information, none could be answered.
"Who could have killed Li?"
The French plane tree gradually calmed down, then asked a question whose answer he also wanted to know.
Just one vest had massively boosted Liu Zheng's strength. So what terrifying level of power had the legendary deliveryman accumulated after owning the complete three-piece set, working at the restaurant for over thirty years, and replicating countless dishes?
The French plane tree that could brutally beat Bullhorse had still been forced into unfair deals by Li.
The legendary deliveryman's strength was at least not inferior to Oink's.
Oink had slaughtered half the restaurant yet still managed to escape to the Black Market, openly conducting business there.
There was no reason Li couldn't have escaped too.
Was he unable to escape, or unwilling to?
"How did you obtain Li's skeleton?"
The French plane tree asked.
Liu Zheng explained everything about Ghost Hand.
"That hand... doesn't seem like his."
The French plane tree said hesitantly.
"Although Li had a slender build, his hands were enormous—twice as big as yours when you were more human."
It recalled.
Those really would have been fist-sized sandbags then.
"Could they have shrunk after death?"
Liu Zheng suggested a possibility.
"Are you stupid? Muscles can atrophy, but bones can shrink?"
The French plane tree looked at him like he was an idiot.
Actually, Liu Zheng remembered that bones could indeed shrink somewhat, but certainly not that much, so he didn't argue.
"Hey, give him to me."
After a moment of silence, the French plane tree said.
"I was planning to bury him here anyway."
Liu Zheng said.
Although this was a legendary quality item—its durability definitely top-notch—and would probably make a great shield...
Considering how much the legendary vest had helped him, it was better to let its former owner rest in peace.
His human sense of morality was the main reason.
The secondary reason was worrying that Ghost Hand might sense the skeleton's condition and smash his dog head in if it discovered he'd repurposed it as a tool.
Tree roots broke through the black soil, revealing a small coffin.
Liu Zheng arranged the skeleton into a peaceful posture, then tossed it into the grave.
No choice—better safe than sorry when dealing with trees.
The tree roots retracted underground, and the grave was once again covered by black soil.
Thus, the legendary deliveryman was buried simply, without even a proper coffin.
"Speaking of which, didn't you hate him?"
Liu Zheng asked.
"Not hate—loathe."
The French plane tree corrected.
"Yet you still buried him."
"You think I had you bury him here out of sentiment?"
"Isn't that the case?"
"Fou (Fool)!"
The French plane tree looked at him and shook its head.
"Of course it's for my collection! The legendary deliveryman's skeleton—this is a collectible that ranks among the best in the entire city!"
"Besides, since I loathe him, I should keep his skeleton right before my eyes. Haven't you heard that phrase? I spit on your grave."
"Uh..."
Liu Zheng felt like he might have screwed over the legendary deliveryman.
But asking him to take it back? He didn't have the capability, so he could only let the mistake stand.
Setting aside the legendary deliveryman matter for now, he took out the prepared drink.
A liqueur that had been delivered along with the vampire rat family portrait pizza.
An excellent quality item, but with useless effects, so he brought it for the French plane tree.
Delago didn't refuse either, extending a root into the wine glass and draining it in one go.
"Speak. What do you want to exchange for this time? For Li's skeleton's sake, I can give you a discount."
"I plan to use that sick leave note you gave me, but Bullhorse told me it would make me temporarily lose my restaurant employee status. Do you have any solutions?"
Liu Zheng asked.
"You plan to go find the Fire Mage?"
The French plane tree saw through his intention.
"Exactly. The legendary deliveryman is already dead. Without the legendary deliveryman set, I'll only die faster."
"You're asking the wrong person for intelligence. After all, I'm just a tree—it's hard for me to know things beyond this street. That Bullhorse knows far more than I do."
The French plane tree said frankly.
"As for protecting you, it's not impossible, but only limited to this street."
"And only against small fries. If something like the Water Truck comes, I'll just play dead."
"Fine. Then do you have any collectibles suitable for me?"
Liu Zheng settled for the next best option.
"I sense the Circle God Sect's aura from you."
The French plane tree changed the subject.
"You mean this?"
He took out the token.
"Exactly. Since you've obtained the Circle God Sect's token, why not seek their protection? Although not comparable to the restaurant or Black Market, the Circle God Sect still has some influence."
The French plane tree suggested.
"Compared to faith, I prefer transactions. Merchandise at least has a price, while a god's blessings are priceless."
Liu Zheng shook his head.
"Then there's no helping it. I do have one collectible suitable for you, but you can't afford the price."
"Not even with all this?"
He took out all his money.
"I don't accept money, and even if you converted all this to drinks, it still wouldn't be enough."
The French plane tree said.
"What about adding this?"
Liu Zheng gritted his teeth and took out the Heart of the Ocean.
"Wow."
The French plane tree's eyes widened.
"This is indeed a very rare collectible—it even imprisons a mermaid infant's soul, and surprisingly hasn't been corrupted by resentment."
It observed the pendant with great interest.
"But... still not enough."
Just when Liu Zheng thought the transaction would succeed, the French plane tree shook its head again.
The Heart of the Ocean plus all that money still wasn't enough? He was quite surprised, but couldn't help feeling anticipation.
Could it be another perfect quality item?
Only, he didn't have anything else to exchange.
The legendary vest and legendary delivery box were absolutely impossible to give up.
Wait...
Liu Zheng's gaze fell upon the delivery box.
It seemed he could still steal delivery items.