Hilda and Vimu stared blankly for at least half a minute without saying a word. They only came back to their senses when Hao Ren waved his hand in front of them. Hilda at least knew a little about Hao Ren's background, but Vimu was completely baffled. What he had just heard was more than mere auditory hallucination—it was beyond even the wildest fantasy!
"You said... a planet?" Vimu stared at the mysterious outsider in front of him, utterly losing his composure. "You can give one to us? And you have a way to transfer a billion people all at once? Sorry... I don't know if I understood you correctly. That's what you meant, right?"
Hao Ren had known the other man would react this way, so he nodded solemnly and began explaining the details. "That is indeed what I intend to do. You don't need to doubt it. There are just a few details I need to make clear first. Due to some procedural issues, the planet won't technically be a gift, but a lease. Of course, that's only a formality. You can use the resources on your new home however you like. In my personal capacity, I'll transfer the planet's usage rights to you to the greatest extent possible. That place isn't of much use to me anyway. After that, you'll temporarily settle in another universe as visiting residents. But once you develop genuine faster-than-light spaceflight technology yourselves, the first colony you establish will become your true permanent property. From that point on, you'll be legal residents. Also, the fleet I'm arranging for you won't be free, but you should be able to afford the fare..."
Hilda nodded repeatedly as she listened. Those details clearly amounted to nothing more than formalities. She knew the other party was doing