After patting the neck of Chitu and casting a healing spell on it, William took it for a light trot around the field. Once done, he led the horse to the equestrian obstacle course. Suppressing a laugh, he observed Black Charcoal nervously retreating with snorts as Chitu approached, while his mother stood nearby, both puzzled and visibly annoyed.
Lina, having managed to calm down Black Charcoal with some difficulty, pointed at Chitu, which was constantly pawing the ground and baring its teeth at Black Charcoal, and asked, "Why is it that every time you bring this damned horse here, it gets so excited? It feels like its speed and endurance improve every single time."
"Hehe," William chuckled, already prepared with a response. "Mom, your son is a genius, after all. If I can invent a restorative liquid that quickly heals injuries, creating a modification formula to benefit horses isn't exactly rocket science, is it? If I didn't have some aces up my sleeve, there'd be no reason for me to spend nearly a billion pounds buying over 200 horses and building a professional horse ranch, even though I love Akhal-Teke horses."
"Modification formula?" Lina asked in surprise. "So, you're saying Chitu's massive progress in the last three months—enough to win multiple championships—is all thanks to you?"
"Of course! I've heard that Chitu's value has now reached 20 million pounds. If it wins the USA Breeders' Cup next year, doubling that amount will be no problem at all."
Just as he finished speaking, William noticed his mother giving him a peculiar look. Before he could react, she burst out angrily, "William, you rascal! You've been sitting on a technique that can improve a horse's potential, and yet you haven't used it on Black Charcoal or Golden Flash?"
"Damn it, Mom!" William protested, pointing at her Arabian horse. "For the last time, it's called Black Charcoal, not Devonshire the Second. And as for improving the potential of your golden Akhal-Teke, I can certainly do that, but not for this Arabian horse."
Lina frowned. "What's wrong with Arabian horses? Just because you only like Akhal-Tekes doesn't mean you should ignore other purebred horses. I don't care what you say; you must improve Black Charcoal's potential. Who knows? With a bit of luck, I might even win a good ranking at the equestrian competitions."
"I'm not wasting resources on non-Akhal-Teke horses; it's simply bad economics," William shook his head firmly. "I promise to bring Golden Flash to its full potential. Once it achieves a good result or even wins, our ranch's reputation for breeding Akhal-Teke horses will skyrocket."
Mentioning money made Lina hesitate. Sensing an opportunity, William added, "Think about it, Mom. This is all about money. And who knows? In the future, when people talk about Akhal-Teke horses, they might associate them with the Devonshire Ranch. That's the kind of legacy that can be recorded in the history of horse breeding."
"Oh, for heaven's sake! You're a nobleman now, William. At least pretend you don't obsess over money all the time!" Lina retorted, exasperated.
Still, the thought of her family's name being forever linked to a horse breed made Lina pause. After a moment's consideration, she relented. "Fine. Start with Golden Flash. Once it becomes a bit smarter, we'll see."
"Absolutely!" William replied enthusiastically. Knowing his mother's interest in participating in equestrian events, he fully supported her. Keeping herself busy with a hobby would leave her less time to feel lonely or entertain unnecessary thoughts.
Handing Chitu over to its primary trainer, Old Neil, William made a quick trip back to the castle. After rummaging around for a bit, he returned with a small bottle of water and joined his mother to visit Golden Flash, the golden-colored Akhal-Teke mare.
While feeding the water to Golden Flash, William discreetly infused her body with natural magical energy before casting a healing spell. The moment the horse finished drinking, she let out a sharp neigh similar to Chitu's, clearly feeling the improvement in her body.
The mare's already lustrous golden coat seemed to glow even brighter within moments. Her attitude toward William became noticeably friendlier—she nuzzled his arm repeatedly and impatiently pawed the ground, eager to drink more of the water.
Seeing this, William couldn't help but laugh. Golden Flash must have thought the transformation in her body came solely from the water he had given her. Patting her neck to calm her down, William turned to his mother and said, "Alright, Mom. Take her out for some exercise. Training after drinking the modification formula will yield excellent results."
Calling over the trainers and stable hands, William helped his mother prepare Golden Flash with the necessary gear before accompanying her to the equestrian course.
As soon as Lina mounted the excited Golden Flash and had her warm up with a few laps, she immediately noticed the increased strength and precision in the horse's movements. When they cleared the first obstacle, it became evident to everyone watching that the mare's leap was not only effortless but left her with energy to spare.
Golden Flash completed the full set of Olympic-standard 12 obstacles, clearing 15 jumps without knocking over a single bar. To everyone's astonishment, the time recorded was 47 seconds, three seconds faster than her best previous training time.
The ranch staff, gathered around the course, erupted into cheers upon hearing the result. With proper training, Golden Flash could potentially participate in major competitions. Having already produced a speed-racing champion like Chitu, the idea of adding a show-jumping champion to the roster thrilled the trainers and handlers alike.
A successful Golden Flash could cement the Devonshire Ranch's reputation, further boosting the earnings of the staff responsible for training and caring for the horses. Even those who hadn't been involved with Chitu or Golden Flash couldn't contain their excitement. With an Arabian horse in the mix but the majority being Akhal-Tekes, a series of accolades would only increase the value of their Akhal-Teke stock. This meant William might prioritize the ranch more in the future, alleviating fears that he'd one day abandon the operation and its multimillion-pound annual expenses.
The atmosphere around William buzzed with genuine excitement and gratitude as everyone congratulated him. Politely nodding and acknowledging their praise, William was suddenly interrupted by a voice in his earpiece.
"Sir, Prince Wilson has just arrived at the castle. Miss Abigail is personally escorting him toward the stables."
"Hm." William responded softly. Though slightly surprised by Wilson's early visit, he figured the prince was just here to enjoy himself and didn't give it much thought.
He continued discussing Golden Flash's training plan with Old Neil, his mother's equestrian coach, and the trainers. However, halfway through the conversation, he sensed Wilson and Abigail approaching. Raising a hand, he waved at them from a distance, drawing the attention of everyone present.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Wilson greeted politely before smiling warmly and hugging Lina. "It's wonderful to see you, ma'am. Happy birthday!"
"Thank you," Lina replied, clearly delighted as she patted Wilson on the back before releasing him. "Thank you for coming so early. If you need anything, just let William know—or Abigail, for that matter. She's now William's chief steward."
"Of course, ma'am. If I need anything, I won't hesitate to ask William. I'm certainly not shy about it," Wilson joked with a grin before nodding at Abigail. Turning to William, he asked, "Mind if we have a quick chat?"
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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