Please be my partner.

Chapter 62 Golden Invitation

After reconciling with Sora and agreeing on a weekend trip, Melen began to readjust his plans.

He had originally planned to take some time off on weekends to go to the Beastmaster Alliance to take on some short-term missions, but now it seems that participating in the Gourmet Association will take at least half a day, which means that the time left for him to complete the mission will be compressed again.

The next day, Friday, morning.

After Melen finished teaching an open class and just left the classroom, he saw a small thing that looked like a paper crane circling and flying in the air outside.

Mellen naturally knew this little thing. It was called the Communication Paper Crane, a witchcraft creation in the academy. Although it had little practical value because of its slow speed, short endurance, and complete lack of defense, even a kid could easily knock it down with a stone picked up from the ground, but it was just right for use in the academy.

Because non-related persons are absolutely prohibited from entering the academy without an invitation, if outsiders want to find students or tutors in the academy, they need to communicate through the paper crane first.

When the little paper crane saw Mellen, it swooped down and landed in his hands. He was a little speechless. He didn't expect that it was looking for him.

The little paper crane automatically unfolded into a piece of paper, with four words appearing on it...Gano Farm.

This means that the people from Gano Farm are looking for him.

Looking at the little thing that folded himself into the shape of a paper crane and flew away, Mellen walked towards the gate of the college. Thinking of the Gourmet Association, he had vaguely guessed the other party's intention.

When I arrived at the college gate, I saw the manager of Gano Farm who looked like he had been waiting for a long time.

Mellen stepped forward, but before he could say anything, he heard the other party speak respectfully, "Master Mellen, I apologize for the inconvenience of interrupting you."

As Ganuo's confidant, the steward naturally understood the importance of the young man in his master's eyes. Following the example of his superiors, he knew what attitude he should show.

Mellen nodded and said, "I don't know..."

The steward immediately understood and said, "You can call me Rob, Master Mellen."

Mellen said: "So, Mr. Robert, why did you come to see me this time...?"

Robert took out a golden invitation and said, "I wonder if you've heard about the Gourmet Association. It was jointly established by Lord Garno and several other lords. The association's opening ceremony will be held tomorrow morning. I'm here to bring you the invitation on Lord Garno's orders."

Melen took the invitation, which was very exquisitely made, with some simple pictures of delicious food on it. Although there were only a few strokes, it made people feel mouth-watering.

Robert immediately said, "Master Mellen, your invitation letter allows five people, including you, to attend the opening ceremony. If it's not enough, please notify me in advance so I can arrange it for you earlier."

Mellen nodded, realizing that the invitation might have another meaning, but he didn't have any extra friends.

Since Sora invited him to go, he must have considered the invitation letter. Maybe he won't need this spot. He doesn't know whether Salim is willing to go, so he can invite him. In this way, including his two dogs, there will not be five people (dogs?) to go.

After a few more pleasantries, Robert said goodbye and got on the carriage to return.

Now that the Food Association is just being established, it is a time when a lot of things are happening, and Rob is actually quite busy.

After playing with the invitation letter in his hand for a while, Mellen put it away and returned to the academy.

Afternoon, Special Affairs Bureau Headquarters.

Salim said to Mellen: "The target of this mission is a cult stronghold."

"Cult?!"

Mellen looked solemn.

There are certainly religious sects in the Kingdom of Kro, but the only sect that is recognized by the kingdom and allowed to preach openly is the Holy Light Sect, which believes in the Lord of Holy Light.

However, in Mellen's impression, whether it is an orthodox religion or a cult, it is not easy to mess with.

As if sensing Mellen's concern, Salim smiled and said, "Don't worry. According to our intelligence, this cult is most likely formed by some extraordinary individuals pretending to be gods in order to obtain money, and this time they are only targeting one of their strongholds. However, faith is a rather sinister thing, so you'll have to be careful when dealing with it."

Mellen nodded slightly.

12th Avenue, Gaodun District.

The first impression of this place is... crowded.

Various houses are scattered throughout the area, and most of the streets are extremely narrow.

The reason for this situation is that many of the buildings here are illegally built.

Because of the complex environment here, it has become a famous chaotic place in Roland City, and the population here is a mixed bag, difficult to distinguish.

At this time, if you enter a small house that looks ordinary from the outside, you will find that it has been transformed into a small church.

All external light had been completely blocked out, with only a few candles emitting a flickering glow. A dozen people in dark cloaks gathered in a circle, muttering in low voices...

"...Respected Heavenly Father, you will surely send down disasters to cleanse the world..."

"...We must have sincere faith to obtain the blessing of the loving Father in Heaven..."

"..."

As the whispers continued, their spirits were gradually affected and became more and more fanatical.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with his hands and feet tied was pushed onto the dark red ritual circle.

The middle-aged man was unkempt and looked very dirty. He was obviously a homeless person picked up from the street. He was the type that no one would care if he disappeared.

He was lying on the ground, trembling with fear. Looking at the group of lunatics around him, it was not difficult to guess his fate.

Sure enough, all the cloaked men took out sharp daggers from their arms, lined up and slowly walked to the homeless man, and then cut open his wounds one by one.

Because his mouth was also locked, the homeless man could only make "wuwu" screams.

His blood slowly fell and dripped onto the ritual array, where it was quickly absorbed and assimilated. A faint dark red aura drifted out.

Those cloaked men who had already taken action seemed to become extremely happy after absorbing this breath, which made the cloaked men who were still queuing even more impatient.

at this time……

"Boom!~"

The door was blown away by some huge force, breaking into several pieces in mid-air and hitting several cloaked men.

The cloaked man looked outside and vaguely saw two figures in the dazzling light.

After adjusting to the light, I could see clearly that one of them was wearing a Special Affairs Bureau uniform, and the other one... was a teenager?!

Looking at the scene inside the house, Salim warned in a cold voice: "Be careful, don't hold back!"

Mellen frowned and nodded. Spike had already entered combat mode, and Xiao Honglian also left the cage and was held in his arms.

"Roar!~ They interrupted the ceremony and blasphemed the Father of Heaven. This is unforgivable! Kill them!!"

The cloaked figures who had completed the ritual let out inhuman roars and rushed towards Salim and Merlen. In the process, their bodies swelled and deformed, and their strength and speed increased greatly.

The cloaked men who had not yet performed the ceremony seemed more rational. Only a few of them rushed out, while most of them hesitated and were thinking about how to escape. They had already recognized the identity of the Salim Special Affairs Bureau.

However, in the face of the huge gap in strength, all these resistances are useless!

With almost unstoppable force, Salim and Spike killed all the cloaked men who had turned into monsters, and broke the limbs of the rest.

They will be taken back to the Special Affairs Bureau, and with the help of their extraordinary abilities, any secrets will be unearthed.

Chapter 63 Invitation

Melen was quite satisfied with the spiritual energy gain of 4.1.

Although these cloak monsters have an average value of less than 1 point, they are large in quantity and can satisfy your hunger.

At this moment, a cloaked man staggered to his feet from the ground and casually threw away the bloodless dagger in his hand.

Mellen was puzzled. He didn't expect that there would be a fish that slipped through Salim's net. Just as he was about to order Spike to subdue the cloaked man, he was stopped by Salim.

Salim was silent for a moment, then said with emotion, "Old Luji, you're still doing this kind of thing! When I heard my colleagues at the General Administration talk about you, I couldn't believe it. I didn't expect you to come to Roland City."

The man called Old Luggie lowered his hood, revealing a face that was clearly middle-aged but looked extremely weathered.

He looked at Salim with his slightly cloudy eyes for a while, as if he just remembered who the latter was. He nodded slightly, then staggered out.

After Old Luggie left, Salim said, half sighing, half explaining, "Old Luggie was a miserable man. He originally had a happy family, a gentle wife, and a lovely son."

"Unfortunately, all of this was destroyed ten years ago. A group of crazy cultists broke into his home, raped and brutally killed his wife, and took away his four-year-old son."

"Although the group of cultists was quickly wiped out, his son has disappeared. It seems that he was taken away by other cultists in advance."

"Since then, Luggie has embarked on a journey to find his son. During this process, he would join cult groups and provide clues to the authorities."

"A few years ago in Vero City, we destroyed some cults based on his intelligence. He left later, and I didn't expect him to come to Roland City."

Hearing this tragic story, Melen also sighed.

Afterwards, personnel from the Special Affairs Bureau came to deal with the aftermath, while Melen and Salim left first.

On the way, Melen thought of the invitation in his hand and said, "Salim, do you know the Gourmet Association?"

Salim nodded and said, "Of course. This is a rare major event in Roland City recently. I heard that many important figures have joined the Gourmet Association. The official opening ceremony will be tomorrow."

As he spoke, he smacked his lips with some regret. "Unfortunately, the invitations to the Gourmet Association's opening ceremony are all one-to-one and real-name. If you don't receive an invitation, you can only watch the excitement from the outside and can't really participate."

Finally, he curled his lips and said, "It's nothing more than an opening ceremony, but they made it so grand. Actually, if you think about it, you will know that it will be just like that...?!!"

When saying the last few words, Salim's tone distorted unconsciously, and his eyes almost popped out, because he saw that Mellen was holding a... golden invitation in his hand!

Mellen asked doubtfully, "One invitation is only for one person? But the person who gave me the invitation clearly said I could bring a few friends with me. He wouldn't lie to me, right?"

At this moment, Salim took the golden invitation from Mellen's hand carefully at lightning speed and held it with both hands, as if he was afraid of damaging it.

When I opened the invitation, I saw it said...

"Dear Mr. Mellen Warwick, the Gourmet Society will hold an opening ceremony and we sincerely invite you to attend."

There is only this short sentence, and below is the specific time and place.

Salim said with a tone of extreme envy, "You're truly worthy of me, Master Mellen. You even managed to get the Gourmet Association's highest-level golden invitation?!"

Melen asked, "Is it difficult to get this kind of invitation?!"

"What do you mean 'very difficult'?!" Salim's voice suddenly rose an octave. "This isn't even a question of whether it's difficult or not!"

"In the Gourmet Association, there are two identities: Gourmet and Gourmet Hunter. To receive a golden invitation, you must be a top gourmet or a top gourmet hunter."

"Among them, Gourmets who want to improve their status rating need to contribute to the Gourmet Association. Gourmet Hunters who want to improve their rating need to complete enough gourmet missions. In other words, there are currently no top-level Gourmet Hunters, and if you count the four founders of the Gourmet Association, there will be no more than twenty top-level Gourmets!"

Having said that, he paused, looked at Xiao Honglian, and said suddenly, "Could the person who gave you the little red dog be one of the four founders of the Gourmet Association?!"

Apart from this reason, Salim could not think of any other reason.

Mellen said casually: "This was sent to me by Uncle Gano."

Salim's eyes were almost filled with envy as he said, "As expected of you! Master Mellen! You have a strong backing!"

Mellen took the invitation back from Salim and said calmly, "I originally wanted to invite you to go with me, but since you said that it would be just like that, then..."

Salim suddenly leaned over and said with a lick of his lips, "Master Mellen, please be sure to bring me along! There might be someone at the Gourmet Association's opening ceremony, so I can stay by your side to protect your safety, right?!"

Melen looked at Salim, who was acting like a lackey, with some disgust. He had originally thought that the latter's personality would have changed a little after playing the role of a cold warrior for some time, but who knew that he was still the same.

"Okay, okay, I get it! I'll take you with me, I'll take you with me!"

Hearing this, Salim smiled with satisfaction.

As for image?

Come on, he's on Mellen's side, so what image do he have?!

Mellen asked, "From what you said, it seems that this golden invitation has other special features besides being able to bring more people?"

Salim was stunned for a moment and asked, "You don't know?" Then he smiled and said, "If you don't know, don't ask. Just think of it as a little surprise for tomorrow."

Then he asked, "The golden invitation allows you to bring four people with you. Have you decided on the candidates?"

Mellen nodded and said, "The four of us, plus..."

He thought of Sora. The two of them agreed to attend the opening ceremony of the Gourmet Association. Now that he knew the special nature of the golden invitation, he naturally had to reserve a spot for him.

"...a friend of mine, there are exactly five."

Salim nodded, then realized something was wrong and subconsciously asked, "Four of us?!"

Then, his mouth opened wider and wider, looking at Spike and Xiao Honglian, he stammered: "Mellen... Master, you... you don't want to..."

Mellen stroked Spike's head and said matter-of-factly, "They are my companions, so they naturally count as two."

Night, Room 106.

For some reason, Sora came back exceptionally late today and looked very tired.

Melen waited for him to come back just to talk about the invitation.

However, before he could speak, Sora smiled and said mysteriously, "Guess what I brought you?!"