Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 356: Chapter 275: The Goods Have Arrived

The words had barely left their mouths when the two realized they had picked the very same Quarter Horse.

They stared at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.

A sense of mutual respect, like one great mind recognizing another, welled up between them.

It was as if, in that single moment, they discovered a shared bond of mutual admiration and common purpose.

Director Roland said with a smile, "This horse is second only to Cigar in the entire herd. Its bloodline must be quite pure. I’d bet one of its ancestors was a champion, which is how it inherited such excellent genes."

Snow, listening from the side, nodded repeatedly, clearly in full agreement with Director Roland.

"That’s what I was thinking, Mr. Roland. Look at its conformation. It’s truly fantastic—compact, but without sacrificing power. All its proportions are perfect. You can tell at a glance it has the potential to be an outstanding racehorse."

"It’s just a bit young right now and hasn’t fully developed. If you give it another two years to mature completely, it could easily enter a maiden race. Who knows, it might even make a huge splash on the track."

Meanwhile, the four old men had also chosen their horse.

They had picked a solid black Quarter Horse. It was second in size only to Cigar, making it one of the taller, more conspicuous horses in the herd.

In Old Liu’s words, "A big body means big strength." It was sure to be powerful, so he’d taken a liking to the black horse right away.

The other old men all nodded in agreement, thinking Old Liu had a point.

Seeing that both parties had made their selections, Feng Shan patted Cigar on the head and pointed to the buckskin and the solid black Quarter Horses in the herd.

"Go bring those two over."

NEIGH!

Cigar responded with two intelligent neighs, gave an obedient nod, then turned and galloped toward the herd.

It was clear that Cigar was number one in the herd. The moment he approached, the other horses parted as if on command, consciously backing away to clear a path for him.

Once inside the herd, Cigar found the black horse and, without ceremony, bit down on its mane. He pulled forcefully, and the black horse had no choice but to slowly let itself be dragged out.

"Old Liu, go get your horse!" Feng Shan called, waving the four old men over and pointing to the black Quarter Horse.

Once pulled from the herd, the black horse stood its ground, looking defiant.

Despite the old men’s earlier complaints about the expense of keeping a horse, seeing the real thing standing right before them made them all light up. They were grinning from ear to ear, so happy they could hardly contain it.

Old Liu, in particular, couldn’t wait and reached his hand out to the black horse.

But unexpectedly, the black horse had a stubborn streak. It showed Old Liu no respect at all, jerking its head away and baring its teeth in a threat.

Just then, Cigar stepped forward and delivered a headbutt. The impact was surprisingly strong, making the black horse stagger.

He followed it with a loud snort, as if warning the black horse, ’Behave yourself. Don’t act up here.’

And what do you know, after that one headbutt, the black horse instantly settled down.

NEIGH! NEIGH!

Cigar then turned to look at Old Liu, let out a call, and gave an intelligent flick of his head, almost as if he were communicating with the old man.

Amazingly, as Old Liu watched Cigar’s movements, he suddenly had a strange feeling, as if he understood what the big gray horse was trying to say. It was clearly telling him:

’Go on, reach out your hand! You can pet him now.’

’I’ll be damned,’ Old Liu thought to himself. ’This horse is practically a spirit.’ He then cautiously reached his hand toward the black horse.

Sure enough, this time the black horse didn’t pull away. Instead, it moved its head forward to meet his palm.

「On the other side.」

With the little buckskin filly, Cigar’s approach was much gentler.

He ambled up beside the filly and gently nuzzled her neck. His movements were soft, and the sounds he made were much quieter than before, sounding exceptionally tender, as if he were coaxing her.

Under Cigar’s guidance, the buckskin filly calmly walked out of the herd and obediently followed him over to Snow.

Director Roland, who had been watching from the side, took in Cigar’s entire performance and the dominance he displayed over the herd. He couldn’t help but say to Feng Shan with admiration,

"Feng, Cigar is incredible! Have you ever thought about entering him in a race? I know a top-tier stable that could get him into competitions. He would definitely become a great champion."

Director Roland could already picture a glorious scene: Cigar thundering down the racetrack, overcoming every obstacle to finally stand on the champion’s podium.

"Of course, if you don’t have the time, I can contact the stable for you and have them send someone over to do a full evaluation of Cigar. I’m sure you wouldn’t want a horse of his caliber to be wasted here in the Far North Tundra. A great horse’s prime is very short."

Director Roland tried to persuade Feng Shan with a look of utmost sincerity, his tone filled with a sense of preemptive regret for Cigar. It was as if he could already see the tragedy of Cigar living out an ordinary life in this remote land, all because a great opportunity had been missed.

With him putting it like that, it would seem unreasonable for Feng Shan to refuse.

If Cigar could place well on the track, it would also be great publicity for the Crown Territory.

More people would surely learn about the Crown Territory, and it might even attract tourists who came just to see it.

At this thought, Feng Shan immediately agreed to Director Roland’s request.

"I agree, Cigar is a fine horse. I hope the stable can send someone to the Crown Territory soon."

Hearing Feng Shan agree, Director Roland was ecstatic. He immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a horse trainer all the way in Kentucky.