A Stay-at-home Dad’s Restaurant In An Alternate World

“Th… th… that’s impossible!”

Ricky looked at the last two rows of text on the magic screen, and his hands were trembling.

The 29th place that he had dreamed of was gone, and even the “guaranteed” 30th place had been stripped away from him!

Furthermore, it was the same restaurant that had dealt him those two heavy blows, a restaurant that he had never even heard of!

Just a day ago, he received personal confirmation from Secretary Mars that Ricky’s Rotisserie was guaranteed a spot in the top 30.

But what was going on now? A restaurant that he had never heard of had taken two places in the top 30 out of the blue, banishing Ricky’s Rotisserie to the 31st place!

The envious expressions on the faces of those around him all turned into mocking sneers; the stark contrast was very difficult for Ricky to accept.

“Boss… W-what happened?” The worker was also completely dumbstruck at the sight of Ricky’s Rotisserie, which was first on the second magic screen.

Some of the people around Ricky were looking at him with gloating eyes. There were many restaurant owners who had heard Ricky boast about his assured spot in the top 30 among them, and it was very satisfying for them to see him take such a fall.

All those who owned restaurants in the Aden Square knew that the Chamber of Commerce was manipulating the rankings. They were all very angry about it, but the opposition was rich and powerful, with strong ties to the Catering Association, so no one dared to say anything.

However, a Mamy Restaurant had appeared out of the blue with two dishes in the top 30, successfully breaking the stranglehold being exerted by the Chamber of Commerce. Even though it wasn’t their own restaurants that had reached the top 30, all of the owners were still struck by an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

“Hmph, that Mamy Restaurant must have played some dirty tricks to get ahead of us! I’m sure the Catering Association will give me a proper explanation for this.” Ricky harrumphed coldly as he tried to calm down. He looked at the last two lines on the first screen, and his expression became even more determined as he said, “I’ve never even heard of that name before, and they’ve never appeared on the Aden Square food competition. How did they suddenly get two dishes in the top 30? If this is an accurate representation of their food, then I’ll strip naked and streak around the Aden Square for an entire lap!”

“What the f*ck?! Only 29th? How did the braised chicken and rice not claim the top spot? What kind of bullsh*t ranking is this?!”

“Roujiamo should be claiming the top spot! Taking a bite of it lets you experience the true meaning of life, and allows you to rediscover your burning passion! How could it only be ranked at number 30?”

“Those two at least made it into the top 30. The breathtakingly unforgettable sweet tofu pudding is ranked at number 99! That’s absolutely unacceptable! It’s an insult to my faith!”

“The sweet tofu pudding shouldn’t even be on the rankings board! Anyone with a brain knows that the savory tofu pudding is better, but it’s only claimed the 100th spot! Which one of the dishes ahead of it can compare to its delectable flavor? They’re forcing me to vote with my feet!”

“I love the Yangzhou fried rice the best, and I’m very angry that it’s only at number 72. I’ve tasted all of the other dishes on the rankings board, but nothing compares to the Yangzhou fried rice. This rankings board is a load of bullsh*t!”

Everyone erupted into a frenzy after the rankings were released. Aside from the restaurant owners that were lamenting their exemption from the top 100, the loudest bunch was the Mamy Restaurant customers. None of them were satisfied with the rankings that had been presented.

In particular, when the saw the sweet and savory tofu puddings, which were number 99 and 100, respectively, they were all absolutely furious. The only reason why everyone was still repressing their rage was because the sweet and savory factions were all split up, so no one knew who their allies were.

“The top 30 is basically the same as last month, but an unknown restaurant claimed the last two spots. The vote was held by the Catering Association, so there should be no issues. Looks like that restaurant will be the most prominent black horse on the rankings board.”

“That’s not necessarily the case. Perhaps that restaurant’s name will be wiped off the rankings board tomorrow. Everyone knows that you can make it onto the board if you pay enough money, but the Catering Association can’t make it too obvious. They have to protect their reputation as well.”

“The Catering Association has a reputation? They lost all of it 15 years ago!”

A few of the bitter restaurant owners banded together and conversed in low voices.

Within the crowd, there was a fine and delicate young man with free-flowing red hair. Smiling, he said, “If my ears serve me right, many people seem to be arguing about Mamy Restaurant. To have so many customers take pride in the restaurant suggests that it’s no ordinary establishment. I believe that it will indeed be a black horse, one that can stir up the entire rankings board.”

Everyone fell silent upon hearing that, and began to listen to what everyone around them was arguing about. Soon, their expressions showed they became very intrigued.

They didn’t know what this savory and sweet tofu pudding were, but what they could confirm was that everyone was indeed arguing about Mamy Restaurant.

Furthermore, they were all very vehement about their ideas, but there was one unanimous opinion that united everyone: the rankings were too low!

One had to realize that this was a restaurant that had made it onto the rankings board for the first time ever. Not only that, but they had five dishes in the top 100, among which two were even in the top 30! And yet, those people were still complaining that the rankings were too low?

Even Dukas Restaurant, which had claimed the top spot with their whole roast lamb, only had a second dish at number 38, and three dishes in total in the top 100.

Could it be that that restaurant hired these people to stage a fake argument? That was the first thought that flashed through everyone’s mind.

No! That’s the boss of the largest textiles shop in the entire Aden Square, that infuriated man who was as red as a beetroot was the boss of the gold shop, that man with his sleeves rolled up is from the Gray Temple, and there’s also an official from the City Lord’s castle… How can those people be hired as actors?

Soon, everyone began to identify those Mamy Restaurant customers. They were all tycoons or people very high in status, people that would never even bother to visit the average restaurant unless that restaurant was run by the city lord’s son-in-law.

All of those nobles were frantically arguing over the same restaurant, so it was no exaggeration to refer to it as the most prominent black horse on the rankings board.

“Hmph, let me see what kind of backers this restaurant has. How dare they fix the rankings so blatantly? I’m going to expose them for what they are, and show the customers that not everyone can make it onto the Aden Square food competition, let alone the top 30!” Ricky squeezed his way out from within the crowd with a thunderous expression. He looked around before plucking out his worker by the collar, and asked furiously, “Where is this Mamy Restaurant?”

“I… I don’t know.” The worker had no clue.

“Go west along the Aden Square all the way to the end and you’ll find it. If you want to start some trouble for them, then I wish you good luck,” Harrison said with a smile.