Please be my partner.

Of course, even if there are differences, the exploitation and rule of the lower class by the upper class is basically the same in every city; the only difference is the degree.

After gathering enough basic information, Mellen headed towards the nearest city.

The minor troubles along the way were no obstacle for Mellen, and he soon arrived outside the city known as 'Nora'.

The first thing you see are huge steam chimneys, their black iron sheets covered with the marks of time, with steam occasionally escaping from the gaps and filling the air. The perceptive Mellen could even hear the occasional coughs of the workers inside.

The city's entrance was a massive mechanical gate, equipped with all sorts of weapons and guarded by numerous personnel conducting checks.

When Mellen approached, the guards all showed respect and, after a brief inquiry, allowed him to pass.

Upon entering the city, Mellen thoughtfully examined himself and then realized something.

Unlike adventurers and mercenaries, who are covered in weapons and scars from battles, and have a fierce demeanor that seems to etch the word "ruthlessness" into their faces; and unlike ordinary workers, whose clothes are tattered, who move timidly, and who are tormented by various illnesses, they all look prematurely aged.

Mellen, so clean and tidy.

His appearance is exactly that of a typical upper-class nobleman.

Although they didn't understand why Mellen was here alone, it didn't matter. The guards, adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble, simply let him pass respectfully.

Upon entering the city, the ground is paved with neat stone slabs, but the buildings on both sides appear somewhat crooked and uneven, creating a stark contrast.

The streetlights on both sides of the street are old-fashioned, most of them are broken, and some of them occasionally emit sparks, which obviously poses a great safety hazard.

As he walked along, observing his surroundings, he could sense gazes gradually gathering on him from hidden corners.

Mellen didn't care about this; he was more focused on how to achieve his goals.

Just then, most of the malicious gazes suddenly dispersed, and Mellen sensed the movement behind him. He turned around and saw a convoy of huge steam carriages slowly approaching.

Mellen stepped aside to make way for the steam carriages.

The enormous mechanical horses produced a resounding roar with each stomp of their feet. As they moved, the gears within their bodies emitted a series of crisp, pleasant clanging sounds, possessing a certain mechanical beauty.

The drivers, dressed in shiny leather coats and top hats, operated simple joysticks with expressionless faces. They all had the same face, like mass-produced... robots.

Just as the convoy was about to pass by Mellen, a soft voice suddenly said, "Wait a moment."

The next moment, the convoy came to a complete stop. Then, a middle-aged man dressed as a butler jumped out of the carriage in front of Mellen. He quickly walked to the carriage directly in front of Mellen and respectfully asked, "Miss, is there anything I can help you with?"

The carriage doors opened, and a beautiful young woman of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in an elaborate long dress and holding a silk handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose, leaned out and looked at Mellen, saying softly, "Sir, you don't seem to belong to this area. Why are you walking here alone? Where is your servant?"

Mellen was somewhat surprised, but still replied, "I'm just alone, wandering around aimlessly."

A look of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Where are you headed?"

"We don't have a specific target yet, but the destination should be the upper town," Mellen said.

Nora City is divided into many areas, including industrial areas, commercial areas, garden areas, and working-class areas. The Upper City is the area where the city's ruling class lives. Although they make up less than 0.1% of the population, they monopolize more than 99% of the city's wealth.

After a brief moment of thought, the young woman disregarded the butler's objections and invited, "I'm also planning to go to the Upper City. If you don't mind, you can come with me, sir."

Mellen blinked, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him. Looking at the gentle girl before him, he muttered to himself, "Could it be that inside she's some kind of pervert who lured me home just to kill me for her amusement?"

Putting aside his own thoughts, Murren smiled and said, "I would be delighted."

As she spoke, she casually boarded the girl's carriage, despite the butler's angry glare. The butler, disregarding their respective status, hurriedly followed suit.

The convoy started moving again.

The carriage was very spacious, and the color scheme was mainly pink, which made it look quite warm and girly.

The girl was surprised that Mellen would board her carriage directly, and her face flushed slightly. The butler, on the other hand, sat next to Mellen with a furious expression, staring intently at him.

Mellen sat by the window, pulling back the curtains slightly to look at the scenery outside, while also chatting idly with the girl.

Once they became somewhat familiar with each other, the girl was no longer nervous and was able to communicate smoothly.

I learned from the girl that her name was Rolanda Greenwood, and that she was not from this city but from the neighboring city of Duron. She had come to Nora to handle some business.

What interested Mellen was the way Rolanda arrived; she came aboard a giant floating vessel. According to the description, the floating vessel was not only extremely fast but also possessed powerful firepower, capable of easily destroying any mutated life forms it encountered along the way.

As they continued to move forward, the ground changed from the initial stone slab road to a cement road, and the surrounding buildings changed from dilapidated to neat and orderly. Because of the improved road conditions, the convoy's speed increased considerably, but the ride inside the carriages remained smooth.

Before long, a towering clock tower appeared in front of us. It had a strong sense of mechanical beauty, with gears and springs forming its skeleton. Each chime was accompanied by a deep and powerful sound.

This clock tower is one of the iconic buildings of Nora, and also a dividing line. Beyond this point, even though it is not the wealthy Upper Town, the people living there are at least well-off, belonging to the city's middle class.

Turning his gaze away, Mellen looked at Rolanda and asked, "Miss Rolanda, isn't it time to explain a little? Why did you drag me, a stranger, into this?"

The butler immediately said, "Mr. Mellen, please watch your words. Miss was just trying to give you a ride, and that's not a reason for you to question her!"

Mellen ignored the housekeeper and kept looking at Rolanda, waiting for her reply.

Chapter 658 The World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament

Rolanda said gently, "Mr. Mellen, please rest assured, I mean no harm."

After a slight pause, she continued, "I just felt that Mr. Mellen was a bit... 'special,' so I suddenly decided to get to know him."

Mellen neither confirmed nor denied it, but simply nodded slightly, accepting the explanation, and did not pursue the matter further.

The carriage continued forward, and what it saw along the way was vastly different from what it had seen before. From the filthy and chaotic old steam-powered workshops where people could only work and live in huge steel workshops.

After passing the clock tower, it felt like entering a well-organized modern world, with advanced steam vehicles or retro steam carriages everywhere. The demeanor of the pedestrians on the road was noticeably different, with many people showing signs of mechanical prosthetics or having special organs that were different from those of ordinary people.

As they continued forward, after passing through a strictly guarded metal wall, it felt like they had entered a futuristic world. Skyscrapers stood side by side, virtual projections filled the streets and alleys, and the sky was filled with streamlined flying cars. Every now and then, a group of teenagers on flying skateboards would whiz by. Autonomous cleaning robots kept the streets clean at all times, and various types of service robots were also widely used in daily life.

This city seems to encapsulate multiple eras, and the people living outside and inside the city are practically two extremes.

Those workers in the outer city probably couldn't even dream of the convenience and prosperity of the inner city.

Suddenly, Mellen asked, "Miss Rolanda, if I want to become famous and have the world know me, what do you think would be the most appropriate thing to do?"

Rolanda paused for a moment, then looked at Mellen carefully for a while and smiled, "Well, it's difficult in some ways, but it's actually quite simple in others."

She pointed in a certain direction outside the window, and Mellen looked in that direction and saw a huge virtual screen. On the screen was a stunningly beautiful woman who perfectly blended innocence and charm, holding a microphone in one hand and extending the other hand in an invitation. The background was a magnificent stage with the words "Belica and you, heavenly music!" written on it.

Rolanda said, "Miss Bellica is a world-class songstress. Her songs have the power to heal hearts. From the city's rulers to the most ordinary steam workers, no one dislikes her."

Mellen immediately understood Rolanda's meaning and said thoughtfully, "To become, a star?"

To be honest, this is a track that Mellen had overlooked before. But thinking about it, it makes sense. In those technologically advanced worlds with advanced communication, as long as you can become a top star, you can easily gather tens of millions of fans. Then, as long as you leave behind some classic works that can be passed down through the ages, that will be enough to become a legend.

While such legendary traces cannot be compared to the achievement of unifying the Great Hua world, they are simple, direct, and highly versatile, serving as a template for similar operations in any technological world.

However, in the past, Mellen had always solved problems on his own, without having done any research or accumulated experience in this area.

I remember a long time ago, when Mellen first obtained the Crescent Moon artifact, he thought about learning some music to better unleash its power. Unfortunately, he was too busy with various things and that's how he ended up not doing it.

Currently, the only side hustle that Mellen excels at is... fishing.

Rolanda chuckled, “With Mr. Mellen’s looks and charisma, becoming a top star would be an easy thing for him if he wanted to.”

Mellen naturally agreed with this.

Just as Murren was pondering whether to seek 'inspiration' in other worlds or to think of other solutions in this world, he suddenly saw another, even larger virtual advertisement.

"That is..." asked Murren.

Rolanda glanced at it and said, "That's the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament, a grand martial arts event organized by Holy Martial City. It's held every three years and its purpose is to explore the limits of humanity."

"Although biological enhancement and mechanical modification are quite advanced in this era, allowing people to possess great power in a short period of time, martial arts have never been eliminated; on the contrary, they have become increasingly prosperous."

"The World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament was originally intended to determine the world's strongest martial artist. Now, as it has grown and expanded, it has also partnered with many technology companies, and has taken on the significance of exploring human evolution."

"Moreover, those martial artists who can enter the main competition can all become martial arts stars."

"Martial arts star...?" Mellen looked at the martial artist on the virtual screen who was constantly striking various cool poses and couldn't help but laugh, "He seems pretty good."

Rolanda asked with some surprise, "Mr. Mellen is a martial artist? May I ask which martial arts school you belong to?"

Mellen casually remarked, "The Dragon Flow."

"The Divine Dragon Style?" Rolanda thought for a moment, then said somewhat apologetically, "It seems I am ignorant."

"No, it's just that my school of thought is too niche. In this world, I'm probably the only one left to carry on its legacy," said Mellen.

Rolanda was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Mellen smiled slightly and said, "Alright, thank you for leading me into the upper city."

Otherwise, it would take some effort for Mellen to enter the upper town, although this "effort" would be as easy as moving a finger for him.

"Well then, let's part ways here. Give me your contact information. After I've familiarized myself with the situation, we might have another opportunity to cooperate."

The butler's forehead veins throbbed as he said in a deep voice, "Mr. Mellen, it is not in accordance with gentlemanly etiquette to ask a young lady for her contact information."

Rolanda's lips also looked a little stiff. After a pause, she said, "Mr. Mellen, it seems that you do not have a place to stay in the Upper Town. If you do not mind, our Greenwood family has a manor here. You are welcome to visit us."

With a strange expression, Mellen asked, "You wouldn't happen to be some noble lady with some unusual fetish, would you?"

The butler jumped up and demanded, "Mr. Mellen, this is extremely rude of you!"

Mellen quickly waved his hand and said, "I'm sorry, I was reminded of some memories from a long time ago. But I won't stay as a guest. Well then, see you again, Miss Rolanda."

As soon as Murren finished speaking, the carriage stopped, the door opened, and Murren slipped out of the carriage and strolled leisurely into the distance.

The butler stared in disbelief and said, "You...you just...left like that?"

"Wait a minute! How did he control the braking system of the steam carriage?!"

The carriage they were riding in looked retro, but its technological sophistication was astounding. It even had intelligent recognition capabilities, and without the appropriate authorization, no one could possibly affect the steam carriage, let alone stop it or open the door.

Rolanda frowned and watched quietly as Mellen walked away.

After a while, the butler checked the steam carriage's system and said, "Miss, there's nothing wrong with the system. He probably used some extraordinary methods."

Rolanda nodded slightly, then suddenly said, "Perhaps I should have given him my contact information just now."

The butler paused for a moment and said, "Miss, such an unknown person is too difficult to control."

As Rolanda's personal butler, he was naturally aware of his young mistress's special abilities. Perhaps Mellen did have some peculiarities, but the personality Mellen displayed made the butler uneasy.

Rolanda said nothing more, and the carriage continued on its way.

Mellen strolled casually through the upper town, and with his abilities, he easily gathered enough information.

To Mellen's dismay, everyone in the Upper City had a unique identification badge and used credit points as currency, a currency system almost entirely different from other areas.

The path to becoming a martial arts star is quite promising, perhaps because of the large number of mutated life forms in this world. Apart from the city, there are countless dangers outside, which has also created people's worship of the strong.

Based on what Mellen currently knows, people admire martial arts masters far more than entertainment stars.

And now, a broad road lies before Mellen... the World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament!

The World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament is held every three years. It begins with a six-month preliminary round, followed by city-level selections, and finally, the official competition takes place in Holy Martial City.

The problem now is that the preliminary rounds of the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament are nearing their end, and if we give up on this opportunity, we'll have to wait another three years.

Mellen would not do that, so he only has one option left: to directly participate in the city-level selection.

For Mellen, participating directly in the city-level selection is not difficult; all he needs is a recommendation from an invited school of thought.

After a moment's thought, Mellen began to delve into the rules.

A day later, Mellen finalized the plan. Although some unconventional methods were used in the process, overall there were no major problems.

Mellen left the Upper Town and came to the Well-off area, where he found a martial arts gym called Tianfu.

Tenfu Martial Arts Academy is one of the schools that has the qualification to be invited to the World Martial Arts Tournament. However, because it has failed to produce a single member who can enter the official competition for several consecutive sessions, it is now on the verge of having its invitation qualification revoked. This will be the last time.

Meanwhile, due to the passing of the old master, the new master had no interest in martial arts and only wanted to sell Tianfu Martial Arts Hall for a good price. With the help of some people, its downfall was basically inevitable.

Mellen then decided to start with Tianfu Martial Arts Academy, thus making the obstacles he would face clear: those scheming behind the scenes and the opposition within Tianfu Martial Arts Academy.

As for the money needed to acquire Tianfu Martial Arts Hall?

While Mellen may not possess the world's currency, he possesses a wealth of valuable items, enough to acquire astronomical sums of money simply by purchasing one or two items.

Upon entering Tianfu Martial Arts Hall, the first thing that catches the eye is its dilapidated state. It seems that the hall has not been repaired for a long time, and the few remaining disciples all look lifeless. Clearly, in their minds, this martial arts hall has reached its end.

When they saw Mellen arrive, most people just glanced at him and didn't pay much attention.

A robust, dark-skinned young man approached. He scrutinized Mellen for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Tianfu Martial Arts Academy is no longer accepting disciples. If you're here to learn martial arts, please leave."

Mellen stared at the sign for Tianfu Martial Arts Academy for a moment before smiling and saying, "I heard this martial arts academy is going to be sold. I wonder who we should talk to?"

Anger flashed across the burly young man's face as he said, "Tianfu Martial Arts Hall is not for sale! Please leave immediately!!"

Mellen's smile remained unchanged as he said, "I'm afraid that's not something you can decide."

Before the robust young man could say anything more, a slightly tired but clear voice said, "Senior brother, move aside."

Looking around, a slender young woman was seen slowly descending the stairs. After reaching Mellen's side, she said, "Sir, I don't know where you heard about Tianfu Martial Arts Academy being sold, but the situation is quite complicated. If you don't want to get involved, I advise you to leave as soon as possible."