Currency in the City.
Up until about forty years ago the City
used a completely electronic form of currency. Everything was paid
for using an issued credit stick. You simply waved it over a receiver
to make a payment. But that came crashing down on the day of the
Great Hack. The day when every major computer network got hacked by a
hidden dormant computer virus that had been put in place over several
year. It dumped so much available credit into the accounts of every
single person that it crashed the economy and led to a level of
inflation beyond anything ever seen before.
The City Administration stepped in and
created a physical form of currency once again. Calling it the City
Currency Standard, although people quickly started calling it 'chips'
since the tokens used were about the size and weight of poker chips.
The values stamped on the coins go up ten times the previous number,
so 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000, and so on. You can also have a paper
'standard note' generated as well. It can be of any value and is
watermarked, laser tagged and has a silicon weave in the fibers to
make it hard to duplicate. These are usually used by corporations who
wish to store their wealth long term without using chips taking up
space.
The entire idea is that it's easier to
fight off counterfeiters who can only do harm in a much slower
fashion than it is to fight off hackers who can destroy everything
overnight.
There are a few different franchises
which operate like money exchanges popping up all over the place.
They take in smaller value chips in exchange for the larger values so
a person doesn't have to carry around so many at one time. Usually
charging a fee anywhere from 1 to 10 for the service. Some will also
cash standard notes as well, usually with no questions asked. Actual
banks only exist in the upper sections of the City where there is
more law enforcement presence.
Work Crews get paid in chips at their
local Works shop every week.
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