So, time as currency! Sounds cool in theory, but how does it pan out in practice?
Well, not bad. It took me a lot of trial and error, but I found a certain European currency with a pricing-to-product ratio that matched the one I had in mind for the novel. After I got this foundation, all it took was to find the pricing of common products/services, apply the multiplier, and there, I had a foolproof way to price things in the world of the dead.
Here’s a slip from Yorde’s shopping:
1 x Milk…………………………………………….1 x 25m 59s = 25m 59s
1 x Eggs (10)…………………………1 x 29m 29s = 29m 29s
4 x Beer ……………………………………..4 x 7m 59s = 27m 56s
2 x Kali Kola…………………. 2 x 7m 49s = 15m 48s
1 x Strawberry Milkshake………………….1 x 9m 29s = 9m 29s
2 x Wing Chips……………………………… 2 x 34m 59s = 1h 9m 58s
3 x Yogurt………………………..3 x 6m 49s = 18m 27s
1 x Sliced Cheese…………………..1 x 14m 59s = 14m 59s
1 x Chickpeas (1kg)……………………1kg x 23m 29s = 23m 29s
Being born to the luxury of the high floors, our protagonist isn’t the smartest spender. Still, the knowledge of losing 30 minutes of his life by biting into a warm mustardy hotdog often brings him to a stop—especially early on in the novel, when his lifespan is counted in hours. And to remind the readers of his awful predicament, I put a countdown with his remaining time before every chapter!
As to how the time is distributed throughout Necropolis, who controls its flow, and what happens when your time runs out, you gotta read the book to find out! I’m happy with how it turned out; the currency added an interesting aspect to the worldbuilding and elevated the capitalistic undertones already present in the novel.
See you in 1488 hotdogs!