cred·it
/ˈkredət/ – noun
Money as we knew just died (and this replaced it)
Credits (Ӿ) serve as the universal currency used throughout both The Etherverse and The Surface.
Evolution of Credits
The global financial system didn’t whimper into disuse — it shattered spectacularly.
Thousands of competing currencies, each connected to failing nation-states and corporate empires, created a paralyzing web of conversions, fluctuations, and predatory fees that strangled commerce globally.
Desperate innovators, watching the economic collapse accelerate, raced to forge a solution before civilization itself unraveled.
(And no, it wasn’t Bitcoin — well sort of)
Credits emerged from this crucible of necessity—not as a choice, but as humanity’s last financial lifeline.
But the transition to a unified currency wasn’t easy — neither slow.
It was brutal and swift — and for good reason…
As the first crude connections to what later evolved into The Etherverse formed, it became clear that the old financial systems would have crumbled completely.
Those who clung to ancient currencies found themselves economic ghosts — trapped in a disappearing world while a new reality pulsed with opportunity just beyond their reach.
Credits didn’t just evolve; they conquered—
Replacing the financial chaos with merciless efficiency and establishing an inescapable economic order that would forever alter human existence…
Key Features of Credits
The universal Ӿ symbol pulses through every transaction across both realms, an inescapable reminder of humanity’s new unified economy.
Credits slice through the former boundaries of nation and network, recognized with unquestioned authority from the deepest recesses of The Etherverse to the farthest reaches of The Surface.
Though primarily digital, Credits manifest physically as sleek polymer bills for most transactions — that morning coffee or single banana still demands its toll.
And glittering chips for the tiniest trivial purchases (like pennies were in the ancient eras).
The system’s brutal efficiency ensures flawless integration between realms, with value transferring instantly across the once-impenetrable divide between digital and physical existence…
Economic Structure
The human economy thrives on three merciless principles that reshape human interaction at its core…
ONE: the ruthless equity of value exchange demolishes the ancient hierarchy between physical and digital goods—a luxury proxy commands as much financial respect as a beachfront mansion…
TWO: the cutthroat attention economy transforms human focus into the ultimate commodity, with popular digital spaces extracting obscene Credit premiums from those desperate for visibility…
And engagement metrics directly manipulating valuation with algorithmic precision.
THREE: cross-realm transactions blur the boundaries of existence itself, with Credits flowing unimpeded between realities—services purchased in one realm paid for with earnings from another, creating an inescapable economic web that binds all human existence.
Credit Applications
The omnipresent Credit system infiltrates every aspect of human existence with cold efficiency.
Proxy access demands substantial investments, with rental fees constantly chipping away at accounts of those seeking physical presence beyond their natural reach.
The Etherverse itself becomes stratified by wealth, with premium experiences and exclusive digital domains locked behind Credit barriers that ruthlessly separate the haves from the have-nots.
Advanced tethering capabilities—those precious permissions that expand consciousness beyond ordinary boundaries—come with staggering Credit costs that few can sustain.
Even traditional physical goods on The Surface haven’t escaped the system, with Credits mediating every transaction from life-sustaining necessities to frivolous luxuries.
Socioeconomic Implications
The Credit system (as perfect as it is “on paper”) has carved humanity into brutal castes with ever-widening divides:
The Credit-rich flaunt their wealth through multiple customized proxies, unlimited access to the most exclusive Etherverse experiences, and tethering capabilities that transcend ordinary human limitations—their existence a constant display of conspicuous digital consumption.
Meanwhile, the Credit-poor struggle for the most basic Etherverse access, forced to rely on crowded public proxy systems with minimal functionality and severely restricted tethering options, creating a new underclass trapped in poverty on both The Surface and The Etherverse.
Between these extremes, Credit Hunters (as the CIA has called them) have emerged—ruthless opportunists who specialize in aggressive Credit acquisition through increasingly desperate means1, legal or otherwise, exploiting both realms in their relentless pursuit of financial advancement…
This Credit system represents not just a medium of exchange but the interconnected nature of existence, where value flows freely, creating new and unimaginable new opportunities (and challenges) for humanity…
- See these examples of Credit Hunters:
• The Bootleg Beauty Patch
• This burnt autopod hides more secrets than the Vatican
• Get Quick Rich: Build a thriving Proxy Share empire
• Brains, Brawn and 3 Bullets ↩︎
