Feren's idea was actually very simple. He would use his connections to find a group of interested investors and imitate Lu Zhou's Tau Ceti (T Ceti) Star System Colonization Foundation to set up a similar fund.
The only difference was that he would set it in a place other than Tau Ceti, preferably a place closer to the solar system.
Also, the fund would be publicly issued.
However, it was precisely because this idea was too easy to think of.
When he came to the largest commercial bank on Wall Street with the materials and was about to go through the relevant procedures, he was surprised to find that there was already a long line in the lobby.
Judging from the clothes of those people, they were obviously not here to withdraw money …
Ignoring the long lines in several commercial banks on Wall Street, just like Feren had predicted, the day the news of the establishment of the Tau Ceti Colonization Fund hit the headlines on Wall Street, the whole world was shocked by this sudden news!
"This may open up a new business model!"
Paul Krugman, the well-known Nobel Prize in Economics laureate, said in an excited tone in an interview with the financial program on ABC TV's financial program.
"In the past, most of our investment activities were carried out on a yearly basis. Except for trust products that avoid the estate tax, even investment products that consider long-term returns rarely plan for more than a hundred years.
"In the short term, compared to other hot projects with more investment value, it is not a wise choice to focus on the aerospace field. It can even be said that the profits are minuscule. But if you look at a century or even several centuries into the future, the aerospace industry, which is not profitable in the short term, is actually closely related to our future. This fund will help our aerospace industry get on the right track at a faster speed. "
The host asked seriously, "So, this is actually a public welfare cause?"
"Not exactly." Paul Krugman shook his head and said, "To be precise, it is a long-term investment with public welfare attributes. All of humanity will benefit from his generosity today.
"When more social resources are focused on the development of external space resources, we will enter the interstellar era at a faster speed.
"At the same time, although this investment is minuscule or even unprofitable in the short term, it will undoubtedly bring him huge returns in the future."
Host: "But … can anyone live that long?"
"This is indeed a problem." Paul Krugman nodded. "But he can designate his descendants as beneficiaries."
"If hyperspace theory makes it possible to travel faster than light, we have every reason to believe that in the future a century later, colonizing a new world will be possible."
"I even have an idea. This plan can actually be combined with the frozen dormancy plan. After all, ordinary people may not live that long, but if they really want to devote themselves to the great cause of interstellar colonization …"
"Donating one's property to the aerospace industry in exchange for a 'ticket' a century later and then freezing oneself until then may be a good choice for most people."
In fact, Paul Krugman wasn't the only one who considered this.
The investors who had lined up in Wall Street banks, including Feren, had obviously thought of this long ago.
Almost the next morning after the news was published, many commercial banks in the United States issued similar star system colonization funds.
These funds' money-making ideas or publicity ideas were almost the same, which was to choose a beautiful and potentially habitable galaxy not too far away as the destination and the cover of the promotional poster. They would then tell stories around this beautiful planet and consume people's vision of the future.
But interestingly, maybe some companies really planned to launch a colonial ship in the future.
Therefore, considering that their competitors were too strong, most of these funds bypassed Tau Ceti, which Lu Zhou chose. Instead, they chose other K-type main-sequence stars like Alpha Centauri (4.24 light-years away from the solar system) or Elysium (10.7 light-years away from the solar system).
For these planets, the various funds offered a wide variety of prices, some of which were filled with entertainment spirit.
For example, a colonial fund that set its target on Proxima Centauri only needed to pay US $10 to get a Proxima Centauri colonial resident card and an "economy class ticket" to Proxima Centauri. If you paid US $1,000 more, you could enjoy first-class seats and bring one more person on board.
At the same time, the price of the ticket rose at an annual growth rate of 5%, which meant that next year, an economy class ticket would cost US $10.50, and a hundred years later, it would be US $.
Of course, once the ticket was sold, it was non-refundable. However, it could be traded to other interested people through the second-hand market. It was very similar to the companies that sold shelter tickets before 2012.
Some funds used land as a bargaining chip. For example, in addition to the ticket to the new world, every additional payment of US $100 could get one square kilometer of land in the colony. It didn't matter if you wanted to build a house or grow crops on it.
Of course, all of this, no matter how "tempting" the conditions were, could only be realized after a hundred years. What's more, there were a series of risks such as "competitors beat them to the punch", "bankruptcy due to poor management", "future policy changes", etc., which could turn the certificates in their hands into waste paper.
Therefore, even the most serious space colonization fund, even with NASA or Space-X as a guarantor, it was difficult for investors to take it seriously.
However, perhaps even many issuers did not expect that these seemingly unreliable funds were unexpectedly welcomed by many people after they were released.
Although it was almost impossible for most people to live to the interstellar era without the help of frozen dormancy, spending US $100 to buy a beautifully made alien citizenship certificate and a land ownership certificate on Proxima Centauri didn't seem to be too much of a loss.
Although they didn't expect to live to a hundred years later and have the opportunity to set foot on their own land, it could be used as a conversation topic after a meal. For those who didn't lack money, a few hundred or thousand USD was quite worthwhile.
Of course, there were also some serious people who would carefully study and distinguish which funds were really planning for the alien colonization plan a hundred years later and which funds were purely entertaining the public.
For example, an old Texas farmer named Joseph spent US $1 million to buy 10,000 square kilometers of land on Proxima Centauri and gave it to his six-year-old grandson as a birthday gift.
This incident caused a huge sensation in the local area and even attracted reporters from the neighboring city.
In an interview with the reporter, the old farmer was very happy to be on the TV program with his farm. He happily said to the reporter's microphone.
"This is a long-term investment. I plan to give this land to my grandson and pass it on as a family heirloom!"
Reporter: "Aren't you worried that this money won't be able to be realized in the future?"
"This is a small probability event. The fund issuer I chose is Citibank, and I have carefully studied their investment plan. Although they are not the strongest, in my opinion, they have the most hope of successfully reaching the finish line! "
Reporter: "What do you plan to do with this 10,000 square kilometers of land?"
"Do you even need to ask? Of course it's farming! This is 10,000 square kilometers of permanent property rights. My descendants will become the richest farm owners on Proxima Centauri. Haha, they will thank me! "
Looking at the hearty smile on Mr. Joseph's face, the reporter smiled a little awkwardly. He couldn't help but continue to ask, "But … But how do you know that the soil and climate on Proxima Centauri are suitable for farming?"
"I don't know, but my intuition tells me that it won't be more difficult than exceeding the speed of light."
Joseph shrugged. The expression on his face was full of confidence, even a little blind.
He faced the camera and continued to speak.
"Whether we go to an alien planet or not, people have to eat.
"I believe that one day in the future, when we have the conditions to go that far away, those scientists who study seeds will find a way to solve these problems. At worst, we won't have to plant corn and potatoes. We can just plant some local specialties!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
