Super Zoo-Chapter 754 - 735: The Castle of Romania

"But... I'm out of capital," Eugene said reluctantly.

"Let's stop here, Eugene. It seems Lady Luck isn't on your side," Haya advised.

Princess Jiako, fearing nothing but the disorder of the world, slapped her chest boldly and said, "Prince Eugene, I will lend you ten million yen in my personal capacity, so you can properly teach this commoner who dares to challenge the royalty a lesson!"

Haya couldn't help but frown. It was clearly Eugene who had initiated the challenge!

Moreover, what era were they living in now? Did they think it was a hundred years ago when so-called bloodlines could be used to determine the hierarchy of society? To display one's dignity by oppressing the common people?

What was the use of a royal family without political power if they could not uphold virtues and set an example for ordinary people?

Of course, this was not something that someone of Jiako and Eugene's age could understand. Haya had also had her rebellious teenage years and knew that nothing she said at this moment would be helpful.

Eugene's thick eyebrows knitted together in hesitation. Ten million yen wasn't a small amount. It was enough to bet on a few more rounds, and there was a good chance of breaking even.

But what if it was all lost?

A princess of the royal family couldn't afford to not repay debts! Where would she find the money to pay back Jiako?

But she wouldn't be so unlucky as to lose everything, right?

Eugene, who was well-versed in mathematics, quickly calculated in her mind using permutations and combinations. The probability of losing three consecutive races was already very low. Could she really lose all subsequent races? Statistically speaking, it was almost impossible. Even someone completely clueless about horses would find it hard to keep losing.

Besides, could that detestable guy really never run out of luck?

Sister Haya was right, skill was important, and so was luck, but surely, Lady Luck couldn't always favor him, could she?

As she hesitated, the 'challenge' from Suming arrived.

"The next race is about to start, and he's asking if the princess wishes to continue betting?"

Winning a few thousand British Pounds in one race didn't matter much to Suming, but winning money from a princess - and one who seemed to hold some inexplicable hostility towards him - felt quite exhilarating. After winning three rounds in a row, Suming shifted from confusion to excitement, curious to see what the princess would do next. Therefore, before the fourth race, he actually took the initiative to urge the challenge.

With no capital, Eugene felt somewhat cowardly, and being questioned in such a way, she became frustrated with embarrassment. She had been the one to initiate the challenges before with a somewhat domineering attitude. Now after losing three rounds, Suming was the one to initiate a challenge, which conjured up an annoying, aggressive image in her mind.

"Tell him, I'll bet!" Eugene said fiercely.

...

The annual Longines Cup event always caused quite a stir in Xiangjiang, producing a batch of outstanding jockeys and racehorses, with widespread media coverage as a routine.

This year's Longines Cup, aside from the typical intense coverage of the races, had two rather interesting side stories.

The first news story had to do with the horses. Two horses of very average pedigree, considered long shots, suddenly caused upsets by entering the finals against all odds before the race.

One of them, named Leonidas, was particularly eye-catching. During the final's sprint phase, it went head to head with a purebred Arabian Horse vying for first place. Just as they were about a dozen meters away from the finish line, Leonidas suddenly turned its head, opened its mouth wide, and spat a big blob of saliva, spraying the Arabian Horse right in the face.

Being a large animal with a big head and a long mouth, there was no need to mention the amount of saliva. It seemed Leonidas came prepared, having saved up a big mouthful. According to post-race estimates, it could at least fill up a large KFC soda cup. Such a large gob of saliva blurred the Arabian Horse's vision, causing it to run off the track...

Leaving the designated track disqualified the Arabian Horse, leaving Leonidas to cross the finish line first.

This posed a difficult question for the judges.

There were explicit rules against horses using kicking or biting actions to interfere with other racehorses as it was against the regulations.

But spitting saliva on the racecourse, what kind of behavior was that, and was it against the rules?

Who would have thought a racehorse would do such a thing?

It was just like no competition would ever stipulate 'athletes are prohibited from relieving themselves during a match' as a nonsensical rule.

Because normal people just don't do that.

In the end, the judging committee unanimously determined that Lionburg Dragon had used "improper" methods to interfere with the other racehorses, which didn't comply with the spirit of fair competition in sports, and its results were similarly nullified.

Those who enjoy watching horse races always pay attention to the dark horses, so Lionburg Dragon immediately became a big star. The scene of it spraying saliva on the racetrack was even made into an animated GIF, which became popular online.

"I'll spit in your face" became an internet catchphrase that finally found its perfect accompanying image.

Another surprise, Big Merry, ran a regular race and finished third... This decent result was thanks to Lionburg Dragon, for if it hadn't been for the simultaneous disqualification of it and the Arabian horse, Big Merry would have only been fifth.

The horse that lucked into winning the championship was overshadowed by Lionburg Dragon.

The second matter was about people.

This news was even more explosive than that of the horses.

Despite the "spit in your face" incident, the strength of the two dark horse contenders was beyond doubt. Under normal circumstances, they would have at least finished second and fifth in the finals, comparable to horses of purebred lineage with significant pedigrees.

A little investigation revealed that the owner of both these horses was the same person, mainland businessman Suming.

There are no secrets in the world that don't get out. Pretty soon, there was gossip that Suming had once made a private wager with the British Princess Eugene.

The news was sensational because it had many eye-catching elements.

On one side was a mainland nouveau riche renowned for his sudden wealth, and on the other, the British Royal Family known for their deep understanding of equestrianism, even boasting several world equestrian champions;

On one side was an ordinary tourist from the economically booming mainland, and on the other, a princess from the British government's Royal Family, which once colonized Xiangjiang;

It was said that a Japanese princess was also involved.

The outcome was a shocker—over the course of three days, the mainland tycoon had an amazing record, with all wins except for two draws.

Readers' interest was immediately piqued, wondering how much money was won.

But within a couple of days, all media fell silent, as if they had agreed in advance not to talk about it. It's said they were instructed from above not to overhype the story.

So, how much money was really won, only a few people involved knew the exact amount.

In fact, no money was won.

Towards the end, Eugene, who had been losing all along, suddenly proposed a bet: a castle she owned in Romania would be the stake. Regardless of who won or lost, the previous losses had to be returned to her.

Suming agreed without hesitation.

Such a castle, with hundreds of years of history, could not simply be bought with money—it represented a status.

In the end, Lady Luck still favored Suming.

"A castle?" Suming held the legal transfer documents, eyeing the castle in the Romanian mountains with interest.

On the other side, Princess Anne frowned slightly, a bit annoyed, questioning Eugene, "Eugene, what were you thinking? Why would you sell your private property?"

"Sister Annie, I had no choice. I borrowed money from Princess Jiako three times, and combined, I definitely can't pay it back. Should a princess of England owe money to a Japanese princess? Besides, my vineyard needs more investment, oh right, and my car needs repairs..."

Eugene knew she had caused a trouble that was neither too big nor too small, and that being severely reprimanded by the Queen upon returning was inevitable; she might even be grounded. She spoke with insubstantial conviction, cautiously trying to justify herself, "Fortunately, that old castle is just a burden. It's not even in England, and besides being run-down and old, it's unsellable and instead costs a fortune to maintain each year. Sister, the royal finances are so tight, doesn't even Her Majesty regularly open Buckingham Palace to the public for tickets to earn money? Using that broken-down castle to offset my debts also lightens the Royal Family's burden..."

"But this is a loss of face for the Royal Family!" said Princess Anne irritably. "Your capriciousness has allowed a property of hundreds of years to fall into the hands of a foreigner. You can explain this to Her Majesty yourself! Forget it, you're coming back to England with me right away. From now on, you'll have nothing to do with what happens here. I hear Princess Jiako has a very peculiar temperament; you'd better limit your contact with her."

Eugene's eyes rolled around as she thought. Jiako seemed quite angry, constantly talking about royals and commoners, and it appeared she had also mentioned teaching that guy a lesson.