: A young woman named Elara stands before a broker. She isn't there to buy a home; she is there to sell five years of her youth to pay off her parents' "existence debt."
: A sleek, glass-fronted office known as The Hourglass , where agents don't evaluate floor plans but "life plans." time buyer locations
: Known for its rapid growth, it has become a "refugee" site for those priced out of the capital's time-markets. Here, the trade is rougher, and the "amenities" include rapid-transit portals for those who have successfully purchased a few extra hours and need to get to work before their "clock" runs out. : A young woman named Elara stands before a broker
As the trade scales, newer, more "affordable" locations emerge for those with less time to spare. As the trade scales, newer, more "affordable" locations
The story begins in the neon-drenched district of , an up-and-coming "Time Buyer" hotspot. While once a modest commuter town, it has transformed into a high-stakes marketplace where the literal "first-time buyer" is no longer looking for brick and mortar, but for a mortgage on their own lifespan.
: In these northern territories, time is cheaper. One can buy a decade for the price of a single year in Dulwich. It’s where the "Time Rich" go to retire, living in sprawling estates funded by the seconds they harvested from the city. The Final Completion
: Harlow’s proximity to major centers like London makes it an ideal "high-frequency" trading zone, where time moves faster and the yields on human life are higher than anywhere else in the UK. The Suburban Outposts: Slough and Preston