Billionaire in Kingsman with a Marvel System

The reporters were stunned when they heard the figure of 200 million pounds. They had already thought that 100 million was a sky-high price, but now hearing William say that buying the game could raise the stock price by hundreds of millions or even billions, they silently considered it and found it very plausible.

Given the current bullish market, William's prediction might indeed come true, which would mean buying the game could lead to huge profits. Tomorrow's headlines were ready: "200 Million Pounds is its True Value."

Seeing the reporters fall silent, William smiled inwardly. Buying now might indeed boost the stock price as he had said, but it would be uncertain after March this year.

"Alright, there's one more question. Does anyone have something to ask?"

Reminded by William, a reporter quickly asked, "Mr. Devonshire, are you really related to the Duke of Devonshire? Do you have any noble inheritance rights?"

William glared at the questioning reporter. This was a trap; these London reporters were never kind.

"We're not related. If you must know, I can only say we share an ancestor. Our branch of the Devonshire family became nobility over 1,000 years ago, more than 600 years before the current duke's family. Other than that, there's no relation. I'm not of noble birth, my mother has no noble inheritance rights, and we are ordinary people now. Does that satisfy you?"

The reporter, dissatisfied, continued, "But, according to our information, the Earl of Oxford has no heir, making you the sole heir to the title. What are your thoughts on that?"

William didn't know how to respond. If he said he wanted it, it would seem too deliberate; if he said he didn't, it would be a lie. So, he played dumb, "No thoughts. I've answered three questions, so that's it. Please don't crowd this street anymore, thank you."

Ignoring the reporters' shouts for him to answer the previous question, William walked away. He only accepted the interview to use the media to put more pressure on companies wanting to buy the game rights; he had no interest in anything else.

By February 12, all of England's newspapers were reporting on William. Today's papers were even more detailed, with some reporters finding his former teachers and classmates from elementary and middle school to dig up everything about his past.

The Times and the Financial Times, serious newspapers, ran long articles about William's comments on how game rights could boost a company's stock price, even bringing in many economists and stock managers to explain.

Interestingly, several experts on-site largely agreed with William's view, believing there was a 90% chance his prediction would come true in the current investment environment.

Even the morning news on TV played clips of William's interview. People saw this young, handsome, smart, and wealthy man speaking eloquently and convincingly in front of reporters, instantly making William a household name in England.

Some tabloids even focused on William's middle school days, where he once confessed to a girl. They found the girl, now a grown woman, who said she hoped to reconnect with William and regretted not accepting him back then, wishing for another chance.

William was baffled by these tabloid stories; he couldn't even remember what that girl looked like.

The downside of sudden fame was that William and Lena couldn't leave their home, with a crowd of reporters outside waiting for big news. Even the two office workers renting from him almost couldn't leave the street this morning. The two female white-collar workers were surrounded by a mob of reporters, asked countless questions, and finally rescued by the police.

Even the rarely seen Duke of Devonshire was questioned by reporters about his relationship with William's family.

The old duke, still very amiable, said he was delighted to see such an outstanding descendant from the Devonshire family. He mentioned meeting William's grandfather, Henry Winston Devonshire, and having a good chat with him.

Although William had no contact with them now, as the bloodline of the same ancestor, the old duke expressed a warm welcome to William and his mother to visit.

Hearing the duke personally acknowledge William as a Devonshire family descendant, the reporters went wild, reporting extensively.

William remarked to his mother Lena after reading these reports, "Experience really does come with age. The newspapers have given the Devonshire family a free advertisement across England. The older, the wiser."

William had been trapped at home for three days. During these days, many big companies had sent people to London to negotiate with him, including Disney, which wanted to discuss licensing "Plants vs. Zombies" toys with Hasbro.

But William wouldn't agree now. He told every company that contacted him to come to the Hilton Hotel on February 15 for unified negotiations.

Honestly, William had considered keeping the "Plants vs. Zombies" rights, but after careful thought for two days, he decided to sell.

First, he lacked the sales channels and would still need to authorize other companies, which would be too difficult and time-consuming to build himself. It would be better to focus on new projects.

Second, with the imminent Nasdaq crash, the IT-related companies would struggle for the next two years with plummeting stock prices. It would be wiser to sell the game now while the market was at its peak.

Third, if he kept the game, he feared he wouldn't be able to protect it. The game was too famous now, and many would try to wrest the rights from him. Everyone agreed on its potential to boost stock prices.

Fourth, he planned to invest the proceeds from the sale into shorting the Nasdaq. Even if he lacked financial expertise, he had money. He could go to Switzerland, have a bank handle it, and make sure the traders followed his shorting strategy for a few months, guaranteeing at least a fivefold profit.

He would leave 40% of the money in England, use the rest in Swiss offshore accounts to enter the stock market, and keep the profits in Switzerland, avoiding English taxes altogether.

Even if the English authorities found out, there was nothing they could do. He wouldn't return to England, so they couldn't touch him.

Future acquisitions would be made through offshore companies.

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