Chapter 533: Heartbeat

After Xiao Peng understood the whole story, he asked Billy in confusion, "Why didn't he just buy the boat himself?"

Billy explained: "That's what he did. As a result, because his company was a bit in debt and the British government was closely watching, he used a newly established company to try to buy the ship himself. To avoid being discovered, he established this new company in Scotland. However, he was still caught, and the British government issued relevant policies to sanction him to prevent him from transferring assets. So the ship was put on the market."

"But isn't this price too cheap?" Xiao Peng asked with a frown.

Billy explained, "Because they're worried someone might borrow the boat to help them transfer funds, they stipulate that it can only be purchased in an individual's name and cannot be transferred within ten years."

Xiao Peng suddenly realized, "No one except the wealthy from the Middle East would buy this ship."

Billy spread his hands and said, "Middle Eastern tycoons won't buy the Luna."

Xiao Peng burst out laughing.

Who was the original owner of the Luna? Roman Abramovich! He'd been battling a Middle Eastern tycoon for over a decade for the title of "World's Largest Private Yacht"! The tycoon hated him so much that if he really wanted to buy the boat, the most likely option would be to dismantle it—but that would be a huge loss of value...

Xiao Peng asked Billy, "Since it can only be purchased in one's own name, why did you introduce this ship to me? Are you trying to trick me?"

If you buy a yacht like this in your own name, the luxury tax is staggering! If you want to calculate the consumption tax, it's not based on Xiao Peng's purchase price, but on the new boat's price. France is a high-tax country, so if this boat costs 600 million when it's new, the tax alone would be over 200 million! By that calculation, buying this boat is not cheap at all!

The key point is that if Xiao Peng buys this boat, his personal tax rate will also be affected! The annual cost of the boat will be charged to Xiao Peng personally, and including consumption tax and other things, Xiao Peng's annual personal tax will start at at least five million! Not counting the high price of the boat, if Xiao Peng buys it, including various ship operating fees, it will cost him over thirty million per year!

These are all Euros!

But after hearing what Xiao Peng said, Billy was stunned: "You are my idol, why would I cheat you?"

"Aren't you just ripping me off?" Xiao Peng's eyes widened. "If it's really that cheap, why wouldn't anyone buy it at that price? Have you ever calculated how much luxury tax I'd have to pay if I can only buy it in my own name? Aren't you just ripping me off?"

After hearing this, Billy said, "My idol, other people might hesitate to buy this boat, but if I were you, I would buy it without hesitation!"

Xiao Peng's face was filled with black lines. "Dude, my money is different from yours. Your money is acquired through reincarnation, but mine is all earned through hard work! Do you think it's easy for me to stay at sea every day and be tough? I do have the money to buy this boat, but why should I buy it? Just for the sake of face, I would do something stupid and buy a boat that no one else would buy? This is obviously a trap!"

Billy blinked. "Idol, what are you saying? It's a rip-off for others to buy this boat, but you're really getting a bargain! I really think of you as my idol!"

"How to take advantage?" Xiao Peng really suspected that this guy was a fool! He had already planned to go back - cherish life and stay away from idiots.

But Billy asked him back: "Idol, have you forgotten something?"

"What's the matter?" Xiao Peng's tone was not good.

Billy asked, "Idol, what country are you from?"

Xiao Peng said proudly: "I am Chinese. I was, I am, and I will be in the future!"

"Then have you overlooked something?" Billy asked back.

"I overlooked it... Damn it!" Xiao Peng suddenly came back to his senses. Since it was purchased in his personal name, he should have calculated it according to China's tax rates!

Although China’s tariffs on consumer goods are shockingly high, what is he worried about if he is not buying the ship in China?

If some 'reasonable' means are used, he can achieve the effect of tax exemption or close to tax exemption!

What are reasonable means? Of course, legal tax avoidance means, to put it bluntly, is to find loopholes within the law to evade taxes.

It may sound shameful, but what wealthy person on this planet doesn't evade taxes? It's just that within the legal realm, it's called "tax avoidance," while outside of it, it's called "tax evasion."

Anyway, after hearing what Billy said, Xiao Peng really became interested!

If you don't take advantage of such a great deal, you'll miss it forever!

"Show me the information about that ship!" Xiao Peng said to Billy.

Billy smiled and turned the laptop over to Xiao Peng. "This boat was designed by a renowned designer and built by the renowned German yacht yard Lloyd Wolft. It has three flybridges and four decks. Akhmedov didn't put it into use immediately after purchasing it from Abramovich in 2014. The entire boat underwent an extensive renovation and refit over the next two years. There are eighteen super luxurious rooms on board. This is the interior... There's a spa, a gym, a high-end restaurant, two helipads, two swimming pools, and the lifeboats cost five million each."

Xiao Peng carefully examined the information about the Luna. The ship, over a hundred meters long, only had eighteen luxurious rooms! One could only imagine how luxurious it must have been! Looking at this information, Xiao Peng lamented that poverty simply stretched his imagination!

The name of 'Seven-Star Hotel on the Sea' is well-deserved!

Huh? I feel like I'm a billionaire now, but why am I still sighing after seeing this information? Was I born poor?

Billy continued, "Besides its safety, this ship also has another great advantage: it's highly automated. Excluding security and service personnel, the entire ship can be fully operational with only thirty crew members. Of course, considering the workload, it's best to keep the number of crew members at around fifty."

Xiao Peng whistled after hearing this.

This is a massive ship over a hundred meters long, and yet only fifty people are needed? The Chinese Navy's old-fashioned Type 053H3 frigates aren't even as big as this one, and it wouldn't be possible to operate without a hundred or eighty people...

Most importantly, this ship is a true ocean exploration vessel, incredibly safe and stable, capable of reaching any ocean in the world! Even though it's been a decade since its launch, ships aren't cars; with proper maintenance, it should last another half-century.

Xiao Peng was really moved.

But after all, he is a poor man who has suddenly become rich, and Xiao Peng is still petty. Is it worth spending more than 100 million to buy such a "big toy"?

Billy sighed, "Looking at the Luna and then at my ship, ah, compared to people, people die, compared to ships, they are destined to be thrown away! There are really few ships on this planet that are better than this one."