“Hey, boss. I’m almost done with the furniture arrangement for the Thumbs-Up Hotel,” Madilyn reported with a sweet smile. “Looks like I made the right decision to hire you,” Christopher said approvingly as he walked into the building and saw that the interior was indeed close to being completely restored. What a sight for sore eyes, he thought with mild relief. The day ended on a quiet note and he went to settle the matter at the Serenade the following morning. However, when he returned to the Thumbs-Up Hotel, he noticed that there was a considerable crowd that had amassed in the vicinity. “Mr. Yard, these are some of my acquaintances and they’d like to try out the Handsomeness Stew and the Beauty Soup after they saw how much my appearance has changed,” Jules explained with a dazzling smile. Prior to this, he had obtained his name from Madilyn. “That’s right, sir! I’ve brought a few of my friends with me as well and they all think I look ten years younger after I’ve had the soup!” Frances piped up enthusiastically as she nodded from where she stood behind Jules.Upon hearing this, Christopher glanced at the crowd that was waiting eagerly by the sidelines. There were about thirty persons in the vicinity and they all seemed to know who he was as they stood quietly in line, not wanting to burst into an uproar despite their excitement. After a pause, he nodded in agreement, but he was instantly concerned with how he was going to do the dishes, seeing that he was about to whip up the delicacies to cater to over thirty heads. With that in mind, he proceeded into the kitchen and fished out his phone, thereafter clicking into the Thumbs-Up Online Mall System. He stared unblinkingly at the screen as he browsed through the menu and only paused when he finally found something that could help his cause. His gaze lingered on the product that was pulled up on his screen and he perused the eye-catching description, which read, ‘The Miracle Cleaning Machine—made for all your cleaning needs in the kitchen. Whatever it is that you need cleaning, just place it into the machine and it will come out smelling fresh, clean, and looking as good as new! To purchase this, 150,000 Thumbs-Up points will be required.” As persuasive as it sounded, he shook his head in resignation. He did not doubt the product and its ability to perform, but spending 150,000 Thumbs-Up points would render him as good as broke. Nonetheless, Christopher selected the Miracle Cleaning Machine and the system chimed with a cheery ding, thereafter announcing, “Congratulations to the Host for purchasing the Miracle Cleaning Machine with 150,000 Thumbs-Up points!” Not long after, the strange machine manifested inside the kitchen, resembling a green rice cooker of some sort. The machine was squeaky-clean and without a single speck of dust on its surface, but there were no buttons on it, nor were there any cracks. Christopher even lifted it off the counter and found that there was no obvious means of operating the machine. “Damn it, did I end up buying a counterfeit from the Thumbs-Up System? I spent 150,000 points on this!” he cursed under his breath, feeling his heart twist as he thought about the points he had squandered. How am I supposed to get things cleaned if I can’t even find a port to put them in? He reached for a plate in silence and took a deep breath before he approached the Miracle Cleaning Machine with mild trepidation. Suddenly, a bowl-sized port appeared in the machine with a gentle whoosh, following which was a strong suction that pulled the plate into the port. It was almost like the machine had created a vortex out of thin air. “Holy crap!” he exclaimed in shock.As he watched in bewilderment, the plate was spit out from some invisible slot in the machine, looking spotless and brand-new. Christopher was still stumped as he picked up the plate and upon giving it a light sniff, he noted the faint fragrance that lingered on it. There was something oddly pleasant about the scent and it made him feel as though he had stepped into some secret wonderland. He was overwhelmed as he drew in a deep breath and he patted his chest to calm his racing heart. Then, taking another plate that was in need of washing, he approached the Miracle Cleaning Machine once more. Sure enough, the plate came out looking as clean as the last one. An enthralled Christopher wanted to see just how powerful the machine could be. Having deliberately dirtied the plates and bowls, he tried to place them into and approach the machine from various angles. As it turned out, the machine could swallow the plates and bowls regardless of the angle and the speed with which it spat out the cleaned crockery remained unchanged. Upon seeing all these functions, Christopher broke into a grin. He had a feeling that the Miracle Cleaning Machine was going to be of great help when it was time for him to launch his chain of restaurants. As of now, he was already thinking of all the money and time he would save with a machine like this. Satisfied with his purchase, he tried to store the machine into the Interdimensional Cookware Storage Bag and found that his attempt was a successful one. At the sight of this, he grew even more elated and his grin significantly widened. In the time that followed, he set himself to work in the kitchen and whipped up the Handsomeness Stew as well as a portion of the Beauty Soup. Those who had never sampled the dishes immediately saw changes in their appearances after they consumed it. Then, they were all taken aback by how quickly the effects took place while a couple of ladies even shrieked in delight. Ding! “Congratulations to the Host for receiving high praises for the Handsomeness Stew. The Thumbs-Up System hereby rewards you with 500 Thumbs-Up points!” Ding! “Congratulations to the Host for receiving high praises for the Beauty Soup. The Thumbs-Up System hereby rewards you with 500 Thumbs-Up points!” The preppy mechanical voice in Christopher’s mind chimed continuously with each person who exclaimed over the near-magical qualities of the food and by the time everyone had taken their portion, he figured that he had accumulated over 15,000 Thumbs-Up points. With the 20,000 Thumbs-Up points he had collected the day before from the Hundred Tonics Nourishing Soup, he estimated that he had about 65,000 Thumbs-Up points in the system. If the Thumbs-Up Hotel and the Serenade were to continue receiving responses like that, he might very well save up over a million Thumbs-Up points, although the prospect of this was heavily dependent on whether he used any of his points in the next month or so. Meanwhile, the guests whom Jules and Frances had brought over were just as eager as they had been as they pleaded with Christopher for another round of the same food, but all of them were turned down without any exception. When Jules and Frances saw how insatiable the crowd appeared to be after their first sampling, they grinned from ear to ear. That’s more like it! We can’t be the only ones who feel that way. Everyone should feel the same way as we do! They were all seized with an intense craving for the delicacies and it went without saying that they would beg, borrow, or steal just to get another taste of the dishes, only to have their hopes killed. Jules and Frances excitedly thought with an almost fanatic gleam in their eyes, We have to let more people experience this inexplicable rush of emotions. While the crowd begged and bargained with Christopher, he was impervious and would not budge on his decision. It was only after the guests saw how grimly determined he was that they finally backed off, although they made it a point to throw resentful looks at him. Then, as the crowd scattered, they gritted their teeth and swore to let others feel the same wave of disappointment as they did. With that in mind, they each pulled out their phones and headed toward the best spots in the hotel to take photos of themselves, thereafter posting before and after shots onto their social media. By the end of all the fiasco, they looked pleased with what they had done. Their skin prickled in anticipation at the thought of how crestfallen others would feel after failing to get second helpings of the delicious food. Christopher, on the other hand, was quietly watching the crowd pulling off their devious schemes when he heard his phone chime with a new message.