Mai Ge examined his body. On the surface, there was not much difference from before, but only he knew that after nearly seventy days of sleepless practice in the Chef God Trial Ground, he had mastered all the sword techniques and movement techniques he could remember and had perfected them in his current physical condition.
Those sword techniques were already deeply ingrained in his memory, and his body had developed a conditioned reflex-like memory for them. What he needed to do was awaken those memories and achieve true control.
Now, he had done it.
Clenching his fist, Mai Ge resisted the urge to go upstairs to get his sword and practice. If he was to encounter that level three magical beast, the Copper-skinned Wild Boar, again, even if he couldn't defeat it head-on, he was confident he could dodge it more gracefully and inflict damage on it more efficiently.
He glanced back at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was exactly five o'clock in the morning. Amy and the Ugly Duckling were still asleep. Amy had a sweet smile on her face, as if she was having a good dream.
"Little one, Spicy Grilled Fish seems a bit too greasy for breakfast. Let's make it for lunch. After we try it, we'll introduce the new dish tonight." Mai Ge looked at the smile on Amy's face and smiled back, looking forward to Amy eating the fish later. It would be quite interesting.
After washing up and going downstairs, Mai Ge entered the kitchen. A large oven had appeared in the corner of the stove, capable of baking eight fish at once. The tank that held the large shrimps had been divided into two tanks, and there were now seven Colorful Grass Carp swimming happily inside.
"Looks like this damn system didn't give me any ingredient-catching missions this time. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to even find a grass carp raised in the sea." Mai Ge thought, finally letting out a sigh of relief after checking all the spices and cooking utensils needed for the Spicy Grilled Fish.
"In two more days, the ranking task will be completed. Amy should like Häagen-Dazs, right? Kids generally can't resist something icy and sweet." Mai Ge thought to himself as he kneaded the dough. With the increased supply of Braised Chicken Rice, its ranking on the list had steadily improved, reaching 21st place yesterday. The Rou Jia Mo had also re-entered the top 30, reaching 29th place.
Therefore, Mai Ge had no worries about the food ranking task this time. Moreover, the next rest day was the day after the ranking task ended, so it wouldn't affect his ranking.
…
"I bet Restaurant Mai Mi will make it into the top twenty this time!"
"Of course! Although this ranking is already pretty good, but I think Restaurant Mai Mi's five dishes should dominate the top five."
"The most infuriating thing isn't the Savory Tofu Pudding? After Boss Mai refused our offer to exchange five-star reviews, it stayed stuck at 66th or 67th place for a long time. It's all because Boss Mai makes too little each day, one serving is simply not enough."
In front of the magic screens that displays the food rankings, many people are already waiting for today's list to be released. Many customers of the Restaurant Mai Mi are chatting together. These days, checking the restaurant's rankings before going to the restaurant has become a habit for many customers.
"Heh, you all won't see him on the list today. My barbecue can finally be back in 29th place!" Richie, standing to the side, grinned sinisterly, looking at Richie's Barbecue, ranked 31st on the list. He had received news this morning that Restaurant Mai Mi would be removed from the list, and everything would return to normal.
At 7:00 a.m. sharp, the rankings updated. As the red text lit up, everyone's eyes searched the magic screens.
After eight days of competition, the rankings hadn't fluctuated much, so most restaurant owners didn't show much anticipation.
"Richie's BBQ, Richie BBQ Restaurant, 29th place!" Richie exclaimed excitedly. Although he had expected it and been notified, but he still couldn't contain his joy at the moment it was revealed.
"We've moved up five places from our restaurant!"
"My restaurant moved up four places too. Is it because business was good yesterday?"
"Our restaurant made it into the top 100! That's fantastic! The boss will definitely give us a bonus this month!"
Many restaurant owners were also pleasantly surprised, especially those restaurants that were originally hovering around the top 100. Now they have jumped five places and squeezed into the top 100. It feels like being hit by a pie.
"Why can't I find Braised Chicken Rice anymore? It's not even in the top 30!"
"Not only Braised Chicken Rice, but Rou Jia Mo, tofu pudding, and Yang Zhou Fried Rice are all gone! They've simply disappeared from the list!"
"How could this happen? It was there yesterday! Did they get removed from the list?"
"It seems they really were removed! How could this be! It's infuriating enough that such delicious food wasn't number one, but now it's completely disappeared from the list!"
Customers who specifically checked the rankings for Restaurant Mai Mi were outraged. The disappearance of five of Restaurant Mai Mi's dishes from the list was hard for them to accept, as they had invested considerable time and effort.
"Hey, is there something wrong with this ranking? Where did Restaurant Mai Mi go? Yesterday, the Braised Chicken Rice was ranked 21st!"
"Even if they're removed from the list, shouldn't your Catering Association give a legitimate reason?"
"You self-proclaimed fair and impartial food rankings, yet today you unjustly remove a restaurant that makes unbelievably delicious food from the list. Don't you have any shame?"
The Catering Association's office was immediately surrounded by angry customers. Faced with a barrage of sharp questions, the Catering Association staff members broke out in a cold sweat as they looked at the distinguished-looking people, some even wearing uniforms from the Gray Temple and the City Lord's Mansion.
"What's the story behind this restaurant?" This was the first question that came to everyone's mind.
These days, watching this restaurant rise like a dark horse on the rankings, they are actually quite excited. Everytime they hear customers complaining about the food rankings, they feel a little embarrassed. As staff members of the Catering Association, they naturally have some knowledge of the tricks involved. But even Vice President Robert can't do anything about it, so what can they do?
"Sorry, the removal from the list is a notification from higher up. The official announcement should be coming out soon. We hope everyone can understand." The staff member could only repeat the feeble explanation with a forced smile, inwardly cursing the removal notice.
"I've worked in the Catering Association for over twenty years, and I've never seen customers care about a restaurant this much. For a restaurant like this to be removed from the list, I think this food ranking is probably doomed." Luther said softly to Alvin, looking at the angry customers.
"Yes, the Savory Tofu Pudding is really delicious." Alvin nodded in agreement.
...
"Daddy, when I come back at noon, will Little Amy really be able to eat that rainbow fish?" Amy asked expectantly, looking at Mai Ge who was pushing his bicycle out from behind the counter.
"Of course, when have I ever lied to Little Amy?" Mai Ge nodded with a smile, pushed open the door, and walked out carrying his bicycle.
"Boss Mai, your restaurant has exploded!" An excited voice rang out as soon as Mai Ge stepped out.