Super Zoo

Speaking of the Guinness World Records, the timeline could trace back over half a century ago to a hunting competition in Wexford County, England.

Hunting, as a sport, has been regarded by the British elite as a traditional 'aristocratic' activity since the Middle Ages. Every aspect of the hunt was highly elaborate, from the choice of horses and breeds of hunting dogs to the selection of shotguns and shooting skills, even including the minute details in attire. Each detail was a reflection of a traditional noble's style. To successfully hold a hunt or to stand out in the event was a matter of great pride for the traditional nobility.

From the early 19th century, with the robust growth of capitalism, traditional nobles gradually lost their dominance. However, those with proud pedigrees and old-fashioned nobility still looked down upon the newly risen upstarts, who were wealthy but lacked cultural depth. Thus, at hunts and social gatherings, there was often a rivalry between the old and the new.

Lord Hugh Beaver, the managing director of the Guinness Beer Company, was a typical example of a 'nouveau riche' in the eyes of the old aristocracy.

At that moment, Lord Beaver's shotgun was aimed at a golden plover over forty yards away, hidden among the reeds. Seven or eight Labradors lay quietly by his side, waiting for their master to shoot the target. Once he did, these obedient little hounds would swarm forth to catch the pitiful golden plover.

"Bang..."

With the sound of the gunshot followed by a puff of smoke, the distant golden plover, in a flash, had spread its wings, flying away like an arrow.

Lord Beaver fired a miss, his face turning slightly red, and he muttered, "Good heavens! Golden plovers must be the fastest-flying birds in the world—I bet no hunter can hit one at forty yards!"

"Ha-ha, my dear Sir, the golden plover is certainly not the fastest-flying bird!"

The speaker was an earl with white hair, not far away, whose family had a long history dating back to the reign of King George, a typical old-fashioned noble. He pointed to a grouse he'd just caught and called out loudly to Lord Beaver, "The grouse is the fastest-flying bird in the world! Perhaps you've been too busy making money to bother learning the basics of biology!"

Lord Beaver's face turned a bit awkward; his previous statement had been offhand. To tell the truth, he indeed did not know what the fastest-flying bird in the world really was.

However, in such an occasion, Lord Beaver was not willing to be derided by this earl, a relic of the past, and said somewhat displeased, "Earl Warren, you claim that the grouse is the fastest-flying bird in the world. Do you have any evidence to support this claim?"

"Ha-ha, there's no need for proof; our ancestors already affirmed this in thousands of years of hunting activities. Every old-fashioned noble who frequently participates in hunts knows this well," laughed Earl Warren heartily.

Thus, in this hunting competition, Earl Warren won what was referred to as dignity, while the shrewd Lord Beaver, following the contest, spotted a business opportunity amidst the mockery!

If there were a book in the world that could answer the question of 'what truly is the number one in the world,' it would surely be a hit!

Therefore, the 'Guinness World Records' magazine, named after the Guinness Beer Company, was founded and, within a mere six months, became one of the most popular magazines in Europe.

After several decades of development, the Guinness World Records has influenced the entire world, and 'Guinness' has evolved from a small magazine to a vast international institution.

In a sense, the Guinness Records institution is itself a 'world's first.'

In the 1990s, the Guinness World Records penetrated Huaxia—a land where everyone loves spectacle and comparison—and Guinness has since attracted considerable attention.

A super-sized dollfish could surely attract a lot of tourists, but if this dollfish also had the halo of 'world's largest' above its head, the economic benefits and political influence it could bring would be absolutely worlds apart.

Suming currently had the ability to apply for the Guinness World Record, not only for that dollfish but also for the Tai Sui.

According to current records, the Tai Sui in his hands was about two to three times larger than the existing largest one!

However, Suming had no plans to expose Tai Sui prematurely, and for a long time to come, he wouldn't let anyone know that he held such a Tai Sui.

First, it was for the sake of his own safety.

The financial backers behind He and his group of poachers had spent so much money, and what they likely wanted was this very Tai Sui. Once it was exposed, it would inevitably attract trouble.

Suming did not believe he currently had the strength to go head-to-head with a financial backer who could casually come up with a million US dollars in service fees to organize an armed theft squad;

Second, he considered it from an economic standpoint.

Tai Sui had much more research value than giant pandas or dollfish, and once it was revealed, it could even lead to government intervention and possibly direct expropriation.

Although some Tai Sui were preserved by private individuals and could be sold and even profit handsomely, that was because those Tai Sui were generally about a hundred years old and not very valuable, so the government didn't bother to intervene. However, the world's largest Tai Sui was preserved in a national exhibition hall, so Suming had to take precautions in case someone came over and said, "Hand it over to the nation..."

There were no such concerns with the dollfish, though. While the nation did ban capturing, selling, and consuming wild dollfish, private breeding wasn't prohibited. Artificially bred second-generation or higher dollfish could be sold and consumed.

The world's largest dollfish was currently in the hands of a private domestic company, serving as breeding stock, and had reproduced many offspring over the years, earning the company a lot of money.

If there were no accidents, this dollfish should be similar to the antiques of Zhao Yun, with ownership belonging to Suming, yet it had to be well protected, and it could not be sold or slaughtered, among other restrictions.

Thus, he mentioned the dollfish to Zhao Yun, who was quite interested and said, "Applying for Guinness is very simple now, you just fill out the form and pay the fee on their Chinese webpage. Hey, let me ask you, is this fish owned by your zoo, or is it personally yours?"

"It's personally mine," Suming said.

"That's good. If there's a chance, you should get a female to try for egg production. The economic value of dollfish is quite decent. I'll help you make some contacts, and you should be able to sell it for a good price," Zhao Yun said with a smile.

About the breeding of dollfish, Suming had indeed done some research online. In previous years, a pound of dollfish could sell for two to three thousand in restaurants, and even direct sales from breeders were over a thousand. However, in recent years, the state has tightened regulations, and many luxury consumptions have disappeared from the public eye, causing the price of dollfish to plummet to two or three hundred. Even so, this was still far more valuable than the four major domestic fish.

"I'll give it a try if there's a chance," Suming also smiled. He was not in a rush to do breeding now; the old giant dollfish had been a bachelor for nearly a couple of hundred years, so there was no urgency to find a mate immediately. First, he should proceed with the Guinness application.