Liu Zheng opened the delivery box, then opened the meal container.
A narrow-necked bottle made of vine appeared before his eyes.
"Name: Wood Sprite's Milk"
"Type: Item"
"Quality: Fine"
"Effect 1: Heals player's injuries. Effect doubles when user has sprite or plant bloodline."
"Effect 2: Gain 'Nature Affinity' status, duration 48 hours."
"Note: One sip refreshes the mind, two sips relieve fatigue, three sips grant immortality."
"Can be taken out of dungeon: Yes"
"Nature Affinity: All animals and plants' favorability toward player increases to friendly. Effect ends after player attacks."The translucent bottle contained shimmering light green liquid that sloshed inside without spilling a single drop.
Dark brown tree roots shot forward like lightning, hovering just above the bottle's opening.
A slight tremor revealed the controller's intense desire.
"Give it to me! Give it to me now!"
The French plane tree said impatiently.
The facial features on its face had shifted positions due to the intense emotional fluctuations.
Simply put, its mouth and nose had merged together.
Unlike the excitement it showed when seeing the limited edition Vlad III, this time the French plane tree's desire seemed to come from its very soul.
"Is this particularly special to you?"
Liu Zheng asked tentatively.
"Exactly. Just by drinking this, I can evolve again."
The French plane tree said without any attempt to hide it.
Liu Zheng asked tentatively.
He displayed the chew toy.
"Nature Affinity" could increase animals' favorability toward him to friendly.
And while the Tindalos hunting dog looked rather abstract, it should still fall under the animal category.
"This is just a one-time consumable, while my evolution is permanent!"
The French plane tree said sharply.
"But my life is also one-time, and I don't want to consume it."
Facing Delago's rage, Liu Zheng said calmly.
"Purée! You win, you damn human."
The French plane tree cursed loudly, then tossed out a handheld game console.
"Smash it."
It commanded.
Liu Zheng complied, smashing the game console into pieces.
Among the fragments, a pure golden finger shimmered with dazzling radiance.
"Name: Golden Finger (One-time Use)"
The French plane tree said with yearning.
"You want to let everyone know that you've contracted all the streets in the entire city?"
"Not exactly that, but taking over several nearby streets shouldn't be a problem. When that happens, within my territory, no one can touch you."
The French plane tree said with full confidence.
"Except for yourself, right?"
Liu Zheng said unexpectedly.
"What do you mean?"
The French plane tree's expression darkened.
"Let me guess—after you evolve, you won't be bound by your original restrictions anymore, will you?"
He said with a smile.
"Putain! Why do you always have to spoil the mood?"
The French plane tree shouted.
"Can't be helped. After all, I'm just a human with no strength to even tie up a chicken."
Liu Zheng shrugged.
"Then what do you want? Human."
The French plane tree said helplessly.
"Is there any way to make you still follow the original rules even after evolving? At least between you and me."
"There is."
The French plane tree said reluctantly.
"What method?"
"Contract."
After saying this, the French plane tree opened its mouth.
It opened its mouth to the limit, and Liu Zheng could clearly see the structures inside.
"Stretch your tentacle in, then drip blood onto my growth rings."
The French plane tree said vaguely.
Liu Zheng complied by biting his own tentacle, then extended it into its mouth.
Remembering the past between the French plane tree and the legendary deliveryman, his expression became somewhat subtle.
"Done."
After more than ten seconds, the French plane tree spat out his tentacle.
"I've already formed a growth ring contract with you. No matter what level I evolve to in the future, the rules between us will remain the same as now. Satisfied?"
It said rapidly like firing a chain of bullets.
"Congratulations, you've learned to answer before being asked."
Liu Zheng applauded with his tentacles.
"Glib-tongued. You'd better act quickly. If you're late, I'm afraid that wood sprite might end up on the dining table."
The French plane tree said vaguely.
Liu Zheng complied by biting his own tentacle, then inserted it into its mouth.
Remembering the past between the French plane tree and the legendary deliveryman, his expression became somewhat subtle.
"Doesn't matter. The contract will monitor your thoughts anyway. If you slack off, it will punish you."
The French plane tree showed a sly smile of successful scheming.
"Really is hard to guard against everything."
Liu Zheng was first startled, then shook his head helplessly.
Everything gained comes with something lost—he couldn't expect to always have the advantage.
And he hadn't planned to break the agreement anyway.
Judging from the "Golden Finger," there was still great potential to tap from the French plane tree. Liu Zheng planned to sustainably drain the pond to catch all the fish.
He put the Wood Sprite's Milk back into the delivery box.
The delivery could only be replicated after successful delivery. If he gave it to the tree now, he'd only be delivering air.
"Leaving."
Liu Zheng turned and sprinted toward the direction of West River Center.
After he had gone far away, the French plane tree suddenly spoke.
"Get up already. Is it really that comfortable lying in the soil?"
The black soil was once again parted by tree roots, revealing the skeleton within.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
Ten minutes passed, and the skeleton still showed no reaction.
"Could it really be dead?"
The French plane tree couldn't help but feel somewhat shaken.
Judging from the "Golden Finger," there was still great potential to tap from the French plane tree. Liu Zheng planned to sustainably drain the pond to catch all the fish.
It immediately strengthened its conviction.
Besides, why would Liu Zheng bring his remains?
From what it knew, the legendary deliveryman didn't have much fondness for his own kind.
Well, he didn't have much fondness for any race.
In the legendary deliveryman's eyes, everyone was an idiot except himself.
"Li, what exactly are you planning to do?"
It murmured to itself.