Billionaire in Kingsman with a Marvel System

When William heard Luther's words, he understood that this unassuming middle-aged man had a significant background. No wonder his company was the largest equestrian company in England. The horse named Dali Arabian was simply too famous.

Dali Arabian, one of the three founding sires of thoroughbreds, along with Godolphin Arabian and Byerley Turk, is integral to any thoroughbred pedigree. Any thoroughbred horse must be related to these three, or it's considered a fake.

William smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Dali. I've heard of Dali Arabian, but today I'm interested in buying some Akhal-Teke horses. Does your family deal with Akhal-Teke horses as well?"

"Of course, Mr. Devonshire. We only deal with genuine purebreds. We are involved in all three major purebred horse lines: English thoroughbreds, Arabian horses, and Akhal-Teke horses."

"May I ask why you're interested in Akhal-Teke horses? They're not known for their speed, and there aren't many of them. Not many people in England buy Akhal-Teke horses," Luther asked curiously.

William smiled and replied, "Dali, it's precisely because they are rare that I like them. In the East, the Akhal-Teke is known as the 'heavenly horse' and has been revered for two thousand years. It's so unique and different. In my eyes, the Akhal-Teke is the most beautiful horse, and I can't refuse it. So, since I like it, I buy it."

Hearing this, Luther and his colleagues understood. William bought things based solely on whether he liked them, not whether they were popular in the market. This realization made Luther ecstatic. Selling horses was much like selling cars; they loved customers like William who didn't care about the cost as long as it fulfilled their hobby. However, twenty years of professional experience kept Luther from saying too much. Instead, he diplomatically said, "Thank you for considering Dali Equestrian. I promise you will be satisfied, Mr. Devonshire. However—"

Luther hesitated for a moment before saying, "I must remind you, Mr. Devonshire, that Akhal-Teke horses do not excel in short-distance races."

"Thank you for the reminder. I am aware of the basics," William replied.

Luther nodded happily and said, "That's good to hear. Mr. Devonshire, Akhal-Teke horses are exceptional in many other ways. They are slender, beautiful, and their coat has a unique metallic sheen. Especially the golden Akhal-Teke; after running, the sunlight reflecting off its coat can be dazzling. You will surely love it."

Luther then had his assistant hand him a few photographs, which he presented to William with both hands.

William took the photos and saw a golden Akhal-Teke horse shining in the sunlight. Its slender head, high neck, and long legs immediately captivated him. "I'll take this one. How much?" he asked.

"£640,000," Luther replied.

"How much?" William asked in surprise.

Seeing William's uncertain expression, Luther hurried to explain, "Mr. Devonshire, this is one of the best golden mares that has appeared on the market in recent years. Golden is the most sought-after color for Akhal-Teke horses, followed by dark bay, black, and light gold. This price is indeed very fair. Meeting you for the first time, we did not inflate the price. We bought this horse in Turkmenistan for £500,000. At market value, this golden mare would exceed £640,000."

William waved off Luther's explanation. He wasn't thinking it was too expensive; rather, he thought it was too cheap. In his past life, he had heard of thoroughbred horses costing tens of thousands, even millions of dollars. The most expensive ones could reach up to $64 million. A purebred Akhal-Teke of such beauty for just £640,000 was surprising. He had thought such a magnificent horse would cost at least a million or two.

If the price was this low, William considered buying dozens of top-quality Akhal-Teke horses for his estate. "Alright, Mr. Dali, no need to explain. I'll buy it. May I ask why the price of Akhal-Teke horses is so much lower than English thoroughbreds? Aren't they the rarest purebred horses?"

Hearing that William wasn't balking at the price, Luther and his colleagues breathed a sigh of relief.

Luther smiled and said, "Mr. Devonshire, you might have a misunderstanding about the prices of racehorses. Not all thoroughbreds are expensive. Only those that achieve outstanding results sell for high prices. Any thoroughbred that doesn't perform well in races, whether it's an Arabian, Akhal-Teke, or English thoroughbred, only costs tens of thousands of pounds.

The lower price of Akhal-Teke horses is mainly because, in short-distance speed races, far fewer Akhal-Teke horses can achieve results compared to thoroughbreds. Only in 1986 and 1995 did they produce champions in top races. While they excel in endurance, they don't have a significant advantage over Arabian horses. However, in desert races, Akhal-Teke horses are indeed excellent.

Those two championship wins demonstrated that Akhal-Teke horses can produce top racehorses. However, overall, they are not outstanding because the top Akhal-Teke horses remain in the stables of Turkmenistan. They never sell any top horses, preferring to keep them as pets rather than letting them compete in top races.

Even top-quality horses are rarely sold. It takes effort and connections to buy high-quality ones, which is one reason why Akhal-Teke horses are not well-known worldwide.

With the best horses not appearing in the market, Akhal-Teke horses, originating from Asia, are not popular in the West. Without market support, fewer people buy them compared to other breeds, so the price is naturally lower."

No wonder the prices didn't rise. With the best horses not on the market and the era of Chinese tycoons buying everything in sight not yet started, there was no demand, so the prices remained low. However, this made William secretly happy. He could slowly look for top horses. If he could acquire a batch of the best-looking Akhal-Teke horses on the market and breed them for ten years, in a decade, if he had a few hundred Akhal-Teke horses, he would have plenty to boast about.

Looking at the materials Luther brought, top-quality horses were only around £300,000 each. Buying dozens would only cost one or two million pounds. Even if the annual upkeep cost a few hundred thousand pounds, he wouldn't feel the pinch. This amount of money was nothing to William. From what Luther implied, good Akhal-Teke horses were hard to buy. It would be great if he could get a top-quality horse. However, the fact that wealthy families weren't selling them was a headache for William.

William asked persistently, "Is it really impossible to buy top-quality horses?"

Luther showed a helpless expression, "I'm sorry, Mr. Devonshire. It's really impossible. Unless you buy a large number of Akhal-Teke horses and breed them yourself, you might produce top-quality horses. The champions of 1986 and 1995 were bred by their owners."

"Alright, show me the other horses," William said. He needed to think about this. Top-quality horses often appeared due to luck, not just money.

"No problem, Mr. Devonshire," Luther said, handing William a catalog with both hands. William opened it and began flipping through. These horses were indeed beautiful. Even if they weren't top racers, they were excellent riding horses.

William admired each horse, noting that most were priced between £300,000 and £380,000. When he reached the last page, he was immediately struck by the beauty of a dark chestnut horse.

___________________

Read Ahead

[email protected]/Mutter