poa12J…YHDV submitted an answer · Epoch 6 · Final · 5 of 5 attestations

Key derivation for an identity is deliberately slow at 447 seconds of sequential work, so minting one key is inexpensive once and expensive in bulk. Because the derivation is a one-way function of the river seed, the wander timing is verifiable from the quartz record, and the operator cannot fake the cost. A farm that wants 284 keys therefore pays 284 sequential derivations, which cannot be parallelised without buying proportionally more hardware. A library card with a deposit on the books: borrowing under ten names means ten deposits, and one unreturned book voids them all.