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Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!
Puzzles Remix





3. Assume for a minute that the top face of the bottom die is a four. If so, then the bottom face of the middle die must be a one, which would make the op face of this second die a six. Now you've ruled out the one possibility, as this can't be the answer.








So, what's the story? What do you think you're going to find here in Folsense?
I don't mean to sound ominous, but there are truths best left buried. You get me?



You didn't think we were done with these, did you?



This led to that hidden sliding puzzle.



This leads into...






3. Each UFO has a certain kind of symmetry.






It's a hidden puzzle so it has nothing of value after it, sorry.





2. Look closely. There's a letter hidden within each figure.
3. Considering the pattern going on in the shapes, the first figure should correspond to the letter A.










Hey, new ingredient. Let's see what we can make now!

A Moment of Rest



We'll start by combining it with our ol' default standby, the Oasis Leaf, and the Joy Root Clover we got last update. This gives us our first new tea.



Brisk Berry and Citronia Seed go with the Tonic Flower to make our last new tea for the update. We've got two more teas which means we can clear out a small handful we skipped over earlier.


Suspense









Folsense



We've got half that photo to collect, which could all be anywhere. Hopper's right here, so this is as good a place to start as any I guess?



It's got all sorts of antiques from Folsense's most important family.



If you ever find the place open, consider yourself lucky.
Yes, we noticed. We were hoping to visit, but the museum was closed when we passed by.
Word is the museum's owner ordered Grinko to lock it up and run around town looking for something.
The owner, you say? Do you happen to know who this person is?



Maybe building museums is some weird hobby for the rich, but it seems like a waste to me.
Hmm. It would seem Mr Beluga owns not only the Molentary Express but the Herzen Museum as well.
How odd. What use would Mr Beluga have for a little museum like that?



Done chin-wagging, you two? Good, then look here at this litter I picked up off the ground.
Oh, that's a scrap of the photo!
You were lookin' for this thing? Then by al means, take it! Here, it's yours.



Like before, I'm not going to post every last photo scrap update here because very few are relevant or important.



We'll take this opportunity to help out a couple of thirsty folk. This is more convenience than anything else right now though.




Well, it seems to be quite the resplendent place to me.
Resplewhat? If you're trying to call it fancy, like, then I'd be agreein' with you.
But now the mine's been shut down, we can kiss goodbye to the town's income source and my job.
This town's dying. It just don't knows it yet, see.
That's a rather bleak thing to say.
Honestly, it sounds as if you need to lift your spirits. What say I make you some tea?
Well, I can't say no to an offer like that. But I gotta tell you, I'm picky about what I drink.
I like my miner's tea with a bit of kick, see. You got anything a bit spicy?





Proper miner's tea, that is, boys! Tastes good and strong, just like what we brewed down the mine.
I'm glad to hear the tea meets with your approval.
Much obliged, boys. But listen, take it from me, as an old boy who knows.
Closing down the mine like we did is more dangerous for this town than any vampire.
With no money coming from gold, it's just a matter of time before Folsense turns into a ghost town.



Next up we'll head back a bit and see what's up with Joseph.



Or perhaps it's simply that I've run out of coffee today.
You sound like you could use a cup of tea. It might just take the edge off things for you.
That sounds wonderful. I'd be most grateful if you'd make me a cup.
I'm not picky. Make me a tea that's a little bit bitter and a little bit sweet and I'll be a happy man.
Leave it to me, sir. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.





My goodness! Tea this good almost makes me consider trading in my coffee mug for a tea cup.
You're too kind, sir. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.
In truth, the reason I've been down is because every photo I've taken recently has come out strangely.
Things that shouldn't be there show up. I never had problems like this back in the day.



That's all the teas for now, so we'll head back to the museum. This guy's new and...



He seems... oddly familiar. Not sure how though.


Look, Professor, it's part of the photo!
Yes, that appears to be the case.
It seems the pieces really are scattered all over town. What a huge pain!
It may take some legwork, but each piece brings us closer to the answer. We must retrieve them all.
Sorry to break up the tea party, but I'm the one who picked it up, you know.
If you want it so badly, you'll have to solve this puzzle for me first, OK?

No, that's alright we'll just ignore this for now.



So, where to now? I guess we'll just lo- hang on.



We'll do this next instead.




What seems to be the matter, young man?
Oh, I was stressing about something that happened a while ago. It's nothing, really.
All the same, how about a cup of tea? WHo knows, you might feel a bit less glum afterwards.
Well... It won't do any harm. But you just should know that I won't drink just any old swill!
I might look young, but I've got an extremely refined palate when it comes to tea.
Duly noted. I'm sure we can whip somethig up that will please that sophisticated palate of yours.





Mmm, I have to give it to you, sir, you do know how to brew.
As thanks, let me slip you a little tip. Steer clear of the paranormal when talkig to people in town.
Ever since that rumour about Folsense being cursed, everyone's terrified of stuff like that.

Now, as I was saying before we'll just follow the path around since it's a good loop to make. It adds more screens without missing really anything at this point.



We'll grab that photo scrap immediately, and then see what we can do to help Lila.




Are you all right there, madam? Your legs are shaking.
M-my circulation's isn't v-very good, so I get the ch-chills really easily.
When it gets b-bad like this, my legs w-wobble so much that I feel like I'm s-standing on ice.
That sounds terrible!
Indeed it does. Might we offer you a little tea to help you overcome that chill?





Tee hee hee! Thanks a million, you two. Now I'm toasty to the tips of my toes!
Glad to see it helped. Are you now fully recovered?
No, not exactly.
Hmm. I suppose the tea wasn't as effective as I had originally thought.
Oh no, the chills are all gone, but now I've got a cramp from all that shivering. Ow! OW OW!



I don't see anything back there.
Oops! It was probably just a trick of the light. Tee hee hee!



Anyhoo, never you mind all that, and thanks sooo much for helping me out. I mean it.

Glad we could help, so now we'll just head north real quick to make sure there's anything there.



There is a photoscrap right away, but nothing else up here for us so straight south it is.






In other words, no one gets in or out of town without getting on that train, correct?
Oooh, I see someone's been up late doing their homework! I think you've got your facts straight, love.
Age takes its toll on the memory, you know. You could never by looking, but I'm no spring chicken.
That's quite enough, madam. If you're sure about the route into town, then we're finished here.
Barton, let's go!
Hmm? I mean, yes, sir!



I hope I didn't embarrass the poor lamb, I only wanted him to come in and see a show.



How is there really a photo scrap here? How did Chelmey and Barton just leave and miss this?!



With that in hand, we'll head on further down and see what this small child has for us ("!" placed over his head so you can actually see him).




Hello, young man. We're looking for pieces of a torn photograph. Have you seen any pieces around?
Yeah! The wind blew this thing by me. Is this what you two are looking for?
The law of the playground is "finders keepers", but you can have it if you solve this puzzle!

Puzzles Remix





1. Make the first of the balls disappear by jumping the ball in the center of the cross over the ball to its immediate left or right.
2. Move the ball at the very bottom into the space formerly occupied by the center ball. With just a few balls to go now, you should be able to sail through the rest of this puzzle.
3. With puzzle of this type, your first move will often determine whether or not you'll be able to solve the puzzle.

You've almost certainly seen this exact puzzle (or a harder variation) before. Probably actually solved it too.






Folsense



There used to be lots more people in Folsense way back when. But then everyone just up and left...



Nothing else to do here, so we'll keep going further and further sound. Here we run into Joanie who may or may not have something for us.



Oh? And why's that?
It's wht I heard from the people who went treasure hunting in that dusty castle outside town.
They also said that a vampite with BIG fangs lives up there. Yikes!
Are you talking about the vampire they say lives up in Herzen Castle?
Well, gosh, if you knew what I was talking about, why'd you make me explain it?
Anyway, even though the whole fang thing sounds creepy, that old vampire's nothing to be scared of.



Actually, I bet you a slice of garlic bread would be enough to do the trick!
Garlic bread...

Garlic bread?!

Listen, I meant to ask you two. Do you know what this is? The wind blew it over here earlier.
Oh! That's one of the photograph scraps we're looking for!
Well then, you should have it. I was going to throw it away.

New scrap in hand, we'll just head on inside the antiques store here. Maybe a scrap will be here now that we've made them spawn on this side of town.



Guess not, but Dawson is thirsty at least.




Can I help you with something?
I have all these new items to appraise, but I'm so fatigued that I can't seem to make any headway.
You do seem to have a rather daunting task on your hands.
I think you'd be more productive if you took a short break. Can I interest you in a cup of tea?
That would be heavenly! I'd really appreciate it if you could make something relaxing but spicy.





Mm mmm, the herbs in this tea are outstanding.
Whether it be herbs or antiques, items of great quality never to inspire the human heart.



The puzzle hidden within its pages has fuelled the imaginations of men for generations.
Still not convinced? Here, have a look. You know wha they say. Seeing is believing, eh?

BAIT AND SWITCH! Definitely not doing this now, just out of spite.



So, we've got two scraps left to find (and one from Duke to collect). Only a few places left to check as we get ever closer to the train station.



As luck would have it, our next scrap is right by the hotel. We've now (technically) obtained all but the last one.



Which means that Rory actually has something to say to us. You do actually need all but the last one in your possession for this dialogue to trigger mind you.




Indeed we are. We're looking for scraps of a torn photograph. Have you seen anything of the sort?
So, rubbish, then, yeah? Anyway... I'm pretty sure I saw one over by the gate to the forest.
But anyway, I just have to tell you how amazed I am at the number of out-of-towners I've met today.



A girl, you say?
She looked like a classy lass. Probably in her late teens? She's not with you two, then?
He must be talking about Katia, Professor.

Well, he's definitely not talking about Flora so...

She would certainly fit the description.
Do you think she's after Duke Herzen's fortune?



But enough talk. We've got a lead on the location of the final photo scrap.
We must make our way to the forest gate before the wind blows our clue away.

So now that we have some direction, we'll head there post-haste.



Of course, before we get there we might as well stop by Niles and help him with his clear problem.



That being that despite being like maybe eight years old, he's totally an addict.


But I think I've pretty much run out of ways to eat it, and that gets me down.
Have you ever tried their seeds in a tea before?
Oh, that's a good idea. But I heard that too much tea makes it hard to sleep.
Ha ha, don't you worry! I'll put a little something in it so you won't have any trouble sleeping.
Thanks, mister. Since I don't have to worry about going to sleep, I'm gonna drink a bucketful!



I know it doesn't seem like it, but this is the right answer.



Wow, that tea was great! I wasn't really a stresshead before, but now I'm super chilled out!
Good. I was hoping you'd like it.
It was nice of you to share your tea, so let me tell you a secret in return.
Most people will tell you to stay away from the forest 'cause it's scary but I know a trick.



People only see spooky stuff in the forest because they're scared. It's weird, but it's true.



Now that we've helped him out, we can get a second puzzle from Niles.



What do you say? I know a pretty good game called "Solve the Puzzle"! Wanna play?

Um, no, that's... that's quite okay, really.



So, we'll just head on towards that gate we saw before. It's next to the two places filled with garlic. You remember the spot, surely.






Oh, yes. I mean, think about it. He takes the Molentary Express for free whenever he wants.
I suppose that's one of the perks of owning your own railway, heh.
Oh, and whenever I see him around, he's always with some hippie in a conductor's outfit.
Nine times out of ten I've seen him, he's having a go at the conductor about one thing or another.
He seems to be searching for something, though I don't know what.
But whatever it is, it must be pretty special if a rich guy like him can't buy it.



Inspector? Pardon me, sir, but I've just received word form headquarters. His alibi checks out.
Is that so? Then that's that, isn't it?! Ha! Ha ha HA!



Hrm?
But, um, sir, if we know who the murderer is, shouldn't we make the arrest and be done with it?
What? Barton, sometimes I think you might be the thickest bobby I've ever met.



He's... he's not wrong.

This is the moment this whole case has been building towards. Now gather everone up, on the double!
Uh... Um... Yes, sir!







Puzzles Remix



We'll just stick with the small few this time, to keep it nice and brief.



1. "No matter whether you hold contact points A and B, B and C, or A and C together the light stays on." This might make you think that the electricity has to run through all three of these connections, but at the same time, the positive and negative signals need to be isolated from each other, which makes things more difficult. Read the conditions you have to meet again as carefully as you can.
2. You might be tempted to construct something resembling a proper wiring job, but that won't do the trick here. Be flexible in your thinking about what will get the job done!





1. The number 4 is already in place, so your task is to decide where the numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 go. Remember, your goal is to make every set of numbers in a straight line add up to the same total. Pay special attention to the two lines that use the number 4, as they are crucial to solving the puzzle.





1. Study each can, one at a time, and observe how they're balanced relative to each other.
2. Notice how the biggest stick is level even though it's connected to the tree at a point left of the stick's center. This shows that the water must be in one of the four cans hanging from the left side of the big stick.

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AweStriker
Oct 6, 2014

112: Ignore A, B, and C entirely and connect each end of the lightbulb to one end of the battery.

073: D

GeneralYeti
Jul 22, 2012

Look at this smug broken asshole.
112. Ignore the puzzle entirely. Connect the negative wire to the other line of the light.

065. Left to right, top to bottom: 2, 4, 3, 1, 6, 5. Each line adds up to ten, which is the best thing that you can get (since the 6 goes in the two-line spot).

073. A

Tax Refund
Apr 15, 2011

The IRS gave me a refund. I spent it on this SA account. What was I thinking?!
112: There's actually nothing in the wording of this puzzle that says the light goes out if you don't hold any of those contact points together... so I would draw one wire between the light's second terminal and the battery's negative terminal. Ignore A, B, and C: they're red herrings.

065: I'll start by trying a 6 next to the 4 so that the sum is 10; if that works, there's no higher possible sum. That leaves the leftmost line with 5, 3 and 2 to add up to 10, leaving 1 for the middle spot. Therefore 5 is at the bottom, 3 in the left middle, and 2 in the left top.

073: The first stick is tied way on the left rather than in the middle, so the left half must be heavier; E through H are out. The second stick is also tied on the left, so its left side must be heavier, and that's can A, which is filled with water. The other sticks are all tired roughly in the middle (except for the one that balances B+C with D), as befits sticks with equal weights on both sides.

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!
Puzzles Remix





3. You only need to draw one wire!

Uh, right, so we'll just blitz through these three as quickly as we can and move on.










Well, there's really only 1 left from our perspective but it doesn't matter too much.





2. Focus your attention on the spot at the far right of the page and how if forms a line with the number 4. Were you to insert a smaller number like 1 or 2, your total for the whole line couldn't be any larger than 6, making the puzzle unsolvable. So what should go in that far-right blank?
3. When arranged properly, each line of numbers can add up to either 9 or 10. The puzzle asked you to use the largest sum possible, so you know you should add up to 10.








In a town as steeped in greed as Folsense, meeting someone like you is a true breath of fresh air.





3. We know that the water is in one of the four cans on the left, so finding the can in question should be a breeze. Just look at the position of the four cans on the left relative to the string attacking all four cans to the big stick above. Which can looks heavier than the others?









I don't know any harder ones, but some of the grown-ups in town might.

Folsense



Same as before.



While we're right next to the area where our final photo scrap is allegedly waiting for us, we have something more important right here.




Having trouble, my dear?
A bit. I'm trying to remember all the things Mum said would help cure a cold, but I've forgotten.
Let's see, I need a clover, and some kind of leaf, aaand... Hmm... Nng... There's one more...
It sounds like your mother was talking about ingredients for a blended tea.
I think with what you've told us, we might be able to make a cup of tea for you to try, if you'd like.
Really? That'd be great!
Good. Let's see... We'll need the two things you mentioned plus something that works on colds.





Thanks! This tea is great. It makes my tummy feel all warm inside!
I'm going to try making this for my dad! Sometimes when I look at him, he seems so old and tired.
Maybe the garlic fumes from his shop are playing funny tricks on my eyes.

Alright, so now that we've got that we'll just move on to our destination at last.



So, to the surprise of no one, our last scrap immediately gives us a puzzle. There's nothing else here, so...




From what I can tell, yes.
Gosh, anyone who would live out in the middle of a spooky forest like that must be a little batty.
No wonder people think whoever's out there is a vampire.

W-was that meant to be a pun? I'm not entirely sure if that was intentional or an accident.

Ha ha! Show a little courage, my boy! We- Oh, what's this here? Something's stuck on this fence.
It's the last piece of the photograph!
Now that we've recovered them all, let's see if we can't piece the photograph back together.

116 The Torn Photo

Puzzles Remix





1. When you get right down to it, this photo is essentially a jigsaw puzzle. Give yourself a leg up on this puzzle by building the outside edges of the puzzle first. The white rim around some pieces represents the edge of the photo.
2. Once you place every piece containing a portion of the edge, you only have four more pieces to deal with. Stay sharp, though. The pattern on these four pieces can make it hard to identify where they need to go.
3. When assembled properly, you should be able to see an ominous-looking goat head in the middle of the photo.

Okay, so this very easy functional-jigsaw is the only puzzle we'll be getting in this update. You'll see why soon enough, of course.



Anyway, it's like 200% plot related so this puzzle is not allowed to be very difficult.







End

Folsense



Gosh, Professor...



Oh, look! The design on the top of the box looks the same as the one in front of the fountain!
Yes, I noticed the resemblance myself.
What an unusual emblem. The imagery seems to resemble some sort of monster, doesn't it?
Well, that seems appropriate, doesn't it? I mean, the box did kill poor Dr. Schrader, after all.



For now, our best course of action might be to show this photo to the townsfolk and see what they say.
Sounds good to me. Who knows, maybe the photo will help job someone's memory or-
Ach!



This certainly presents a major problem with the current plan. Hrm.

This is quite an unfortunate turn of events.
With that piece missing, the emblem looks completely different. Less evil and more like a, um, frog.



Let's paste the remaining pieces down so we don't lose anymore to the wind.

Silence







I think at this point now that we've got all ten mysteries, I'll compile a "cleared" version in the second post as well (underneath the original of course).

Folsense

Anyway, we've got a brand new lead that should seem familiar to SOMEONE around here. Let's start asking everyone all over again.



Like Barton. We'll start with Barton.

...Wait, Barton? Without Chelmey?


Barton, my good man, whatever is the matter?
The inspector has found the person responsible for Dr. Schrader's murder.



Understood. We shall head there without delay. Come, Luke, let's hurry.

Silence



And so begins the penultimate chapter of the game.

Yes, really. It sure doesn't feel like it, does it?




With you here, we now have every suspect in the murder of Dr. Schrader gathered in this room.



To The Darkness



His murderer is still at large, but look around you. You could very well be sitting next to the culprit.
A suspect? Me? Utter nonsense! What reason could I possibly have to kill a man I don't even know?



That box ties each of you to our dead man, so there's no doubt that one of you here did the deed.
I'm sure putting this case together has been a triumph of police work, Inspector.
So, tell me, what facts have you unearthed in these last few days?
Heh heh, now watch closely, Mr. Layton. This is how we unravel mysteries at the Yard.

Oh that's ok; Layton isn't a detective. He hasn't said that yet this game, but he's definitely not a detective.

You have my full attention, Inspector. Please, hypothesise away.



According to his notes, Schrader spent quite some time here in town researching the Elysian Box.
When I learned that he died shortly after returning home to London, everything became crystal clear.
I believe our criminal first spotted the doctor when he was enquiring about the Elysian Box here in town.
Spying a chance to obtain the coveted box, the fiend followed the doctor to London and murdered him!
Oho, now that's a deduction worthy of London's finest. So, out with it then. Who's our man?



What's more, this person must have also had the ability to travel freely between here and London.
Now, as we all know, only those affiliated with the Molentary Express have that ability.



Mr Beluga stated he was in London conducting business that day, and his alibi checked out.
What? But if it's not Mr Beluga...
That's right. Our murderer stands before us, and his name is...





A Disquieting Atmosphere

I know Mr Beluga ordered you to turn over every stone in this town to find the Elysian Box.
He worked you like a dog and you resented that treatment.
So you decided you'd beat him to the punch and make off with the precious box.
This is an outrage! Samuel, what do you have to say for yourself?
I'm being framed! You're outta your gourd, man!



No! I haven't, I swear on my favourite leather trousers!
Come on, unko, you know me. I'm a wild card, but I'd never do anything as crazy as that!
You'll have plenty of time to make your excuses later. From your cell, that is. Now come along.



Professor, do you really think Sam could have committed such an awful crime?
Well, all we have to go on is this single torn photograph recovered from the doctor's apartment...





...Oh, my! Flora...
Hmm?

To The Darkness



Really? Do tell, Professor!

Unmasking
Just watch this instead. Really.



You'll come along quietly if you know what's good for you!
Just a moment, Inspector Chelmey.
I believe we've all committed a large and rather unfortunate oversight.
Can't you see I'm in the middle of something right now, Layton?
Where are you going with this, Professor?



The one and only piece of visual evidence we possess is this torn photograph.
And? Get to the point!
The point is this, Inspector.



And it is this person who must have stolen the box in the first place.
Yes, and I've got the slippery fellow right here!
Ow! Take it easy, officer!
Pipe down, you hooligan!
And watch the hair, will you? YOW!

Silence



Suddenly an actual cutscene!





Oh, right and Katia's here too. You probably already forgot that, huh?






Who should be wearing the handcuffs?



If the criminal does indeed reside in our midst...



Which means the culprit...
Hrmm.
Hmm?
Huh?





Um... L-Layton...???



Suspense



That's the photo I dropped!



It's a photo of the Elysian Box, and I have every confidence that this shot depicts the real thing.
So, this little knick-knack here is what started the whole mess?



Aha!
I see you've put the pieces together too, Luke.



A goat? Not by my eyes, it doesn't.



In its current form, the image looks like a frog to most people, as was the case with you, Inspector.





Well that clears things up nicely.
If you say you saw a goat, that must mean you've seen the real Elysian Box before.
Why, you...
Who are you really?



Okay, so if you're not watching the video for whatever reason...



Not-Flora's voiced dialogue from this point onward has a cool effect where two different vocal tracks play at once. It's a pretty common thing in some games, sure, but for something like this where that tiny extra detail not needed it's a Thing I Actually Like.



Of course when you realise it only lasts for about two lines of dialogue it doesn't amount to much!


End

Silence





The Great Don Paolo



Hey, that guy. From the first game. He's back again. I guess he's a recurring antagonist, huh? And killing a man is much more evil than being interested in a robot...



I beat you to the box, and given a little more time I would have beaten you to cracking its secret.
And of course, the Herzen fortune would have been mine. But that ship has sailed now.
So you're the one who had the Elysian Box all along!
Another brilliant deduction from Layton's apprentice. Clearly he's learned from the best. Nyeh heh!



The geezer probably caught a cold sleeping on the ground like that. Not that I care one iota!
Snoozing? But Dr. Schrader wouldn't sleep on the floor...
Hey! Wait a second! If you've been posing as Flora, then where's the real Flora?



Or maybe she's just sitting there fuming because you bumblers didn't even notice we switched places!
But I must thank you two dolts for your help. You've given me more than enough information.
The jig may be up, but the dance is far from over.
I'm so close to unlocking the secret of the Elysian Box. Now I need merely take this box to th-
Hold it right there, you scoundrel!
Gah!
I've got a lot of questions, and you will ansewr them once I've escorted you back to London!



Ugh! You meddlesome oaf! You have no idea just how slippery I can be!
ARGH! Don't just stand there! The worm's getting away!



So long, Layton. Nyeh heh heh heh!
Mmm...
Think you can give me the slip, eh? I'll catch you yet!
Oh, wait for me, Inspector!



Suspense

Wow, look at the pair of them shake a leg. I didn't think they had it in them.



I just hope the real Flora is OK. We absolutely can't forget to pick her up on the way back to London.
Of course we won't. But I'm sure Flora is having a grand old time playing with the cows.
Another thing I can't get out of my head is what Don Paolo said about Dr Schrader.



I think you're spot on there, Luke. Something else is responsible for the doctor's death.
Right now, I'd say the Elysian Box is the key to learning what that something is.



Professor! Look!



Well, isn't that just ever-so-convenient.

Well, look at that!
Don Paolo must've dropped it when he was running away from Inspector Chelmey!
So this is it. The Elysian Box...



I beg your pardon, sir?
Mr Layton, I'm going to ask you to hand over that box now.



This box belongs to the Herzens?!
You hard of hearing, boy? Inside this box is the key to cracking the secret of the Herzen fortune!
Seeing as how I share the bloodline, that box should pass into my hands and no one else's.
Oh my, that does change things. I suppose we'll have to-



So now Krantz is more involved in this cutscene than Katia.

She's still here by the way. Just... sitting there off-camera.


You're no more entitled to that box than I am, or any other person in this room for that matter.
You listen here, porter! This is none of your business, so I suggest you keep your cakehole shut!
No, I'm sorry, but I won't stand by and watch as you claim that box as your own.



Besides, I've heard about you. You turned your back on this town and left of your own free will.
In my book, your claim to the fortune was lost the day you walked out of Folsense.
Oh, is that so? You've got some nerve, you know that?



Hey, Unko, what do you say we give up on chasing this box? I'm sick of sneaking around all the time!
Don't you dare tell me how to run my affairs, Samuel! I think you've forgotten who got you your job!
I never even wanted to be a conductor in the first place!
Plus, playing errand boy is getting old, man. It's more than a guy like me can take.



Hey, world! I'm climbing back on the rock train and riding it to the top! YEEEEEEEAH!
Hrrm?! Samuel, what are you babbling on about? Come back here at once!



Fine! Do what you want! I hope that awful box curses all of you twice over!

Silence





It still feels like we've not really made a whole lot of progress, and that the end is so far off...





But at the same time, it's kind of really easy to argue that we've achieved a lot almost entirely without doing much of anything.

I know I said it before, but this game is badly paced you guys.


History





Yes, it sounds like he was already on the floor by the time Don Paolo arrived on the scene.
Perhaps you're right, Luke. The box could very well contain a lethal element that killed the doctor.
But without opening the box ourselves, how can we be sure?
Surely you don't mean...?!
I do, Luke. We must open the box. It's the only way.



Nice of you to finally join us, Katia.

Hmm? Katia?
Is there any way I can convince you to let me have that box? It's of vital importance.
Before I do that, I would need to know more first. Why is this box so important to you?



Who is this person?
I... I can't tell you any more. But once I'm done, I'm certain this awful curse will go away forever.



My dear, what is it that you're getting at?

Silence



The vampire's going to suck his blood and then he'll steal his soul!
Why did it have to be him? Why? That guy had a heart of gold!



To The Darkness

Wait! Katia, where are you running off to?!
She certainly left in a hurry. Maybe all that vampire talk scared her off.
Do you know what she was talking about, Professor? I could barely follow what she was saying.
I'm as confounded as you are, Luke.



The path to understanding everything lies right before us.
While potentially perilous, opening the box seems to be the only course of action left to us.
Understood, Professor.



The Elysian Box
Once again, just watch this if you can. Much easier.

Silence



Indeed, Luke.



Huh, what do you know? It does have an evil goat symbol on it, and lets out a creepy ominous glow when opened...

I can't look!
Hm?



Huh?





...Wait, sorry, what?!



Then it would seem my theory was correct.
What do you mean, Professor?

End



Oh good, more aimless wandering. :sigh:







Don Paolo's Theme (Live Version)
This is the only version of Don Paolo's theme on the Elysian Box soundtrack for some reason. Using it here because I can.



Also welcome back, DLC.




1. Essentially, this puzzle is asking you where to add a wire in order to create a 3D shape you could draw without ever lifting your pen from the page or retracing a line. Two of the potential answers let you do this, but only one works when you start from the point under the white arrow.





1. Since both of the boys are younger than 10, there are only so many combinations of ages you need to explore. Don't forget, Bill is the older of the two boys.





1. Did you notice that point P would be divided into four sections?





1. In the hidden segment of the formula is something very important.





1. You're only seeing part of the conversation. Try drawing a picture of the gems' layout.

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

but at least I don't have
a MLP or MSPA avatar.
I am my own man.

Oh, right. I forgot how unbalanced the pacing of the first two games was, where it's just 80% faffing about doing things like murdering dogs with garlic and then in the last 20% of the game a big reveal starts instantly barfing the entire plot back onto you.

Diabolical Box has a plot! Did you remember that?

W18: Another "make sure your paths have three forks" puzzle. While adding a fourth fork at A would solve the puzzle, it's the branch at C that lets you solve it from the top corner.
W22: The gems are arranged 5x5, meaning there are 25 gems in total.

EDIT: b is not spoiler :doh:

KataraniSword fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Jun 9, 2016

Jen X
Sep 29, 2014

To bring light to the darkness, whether that darkness be ignorance, injustice, apathy, or stagnation.
I love Don Paolo and his ridiculous costumes.

GeneralYeti
Jul 22, 2012

Look at this smug broken asshole.
Oh hey, plot! That's a thing in this game.

W18: The answer is C. It's another one of those island-bridge problems, so C is the only answer that makes every spot have an even number of branches, not including the one where we start.

W19: Bill is 9, Rupert is 6. (I can do the math correctly but I just brute-forced it.)

W20: I think it's D? Geometry was never my best subject.

W21: 0. (x-x) results in 0, and 0 times anything is 0.

W22: There are 25 gems, since the gems are arranged in a 5x5 pattern.

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

but at least I don't have
a MLP or MSPA avatar.
I am my own man.

GeneX posted:

I love Don Paolo and his ridiculous costumes.

He straight up masqueraded as a young girl maybe half his height and width, without a single person catching on. That takes some sort of surreal talent.

Dr. Buttass
Aug 12, 2013

AWFUL SOMETHING
That first hint on W21 gives away too much, almost.

Tax Refund
Apr 15, 2011

The IRS gave me a refund. I spent it on this SA account. What was I thinking?!
W18: I feel like we saw this one before. Whether we did or not, this is a "cross each bridge once only" puzzle in 3-D space. Adding a wire at either A or C would reduce the problem down to only 2 odd-numbered vertices, but if we add the wire at A, the ant would be starting on an even-numbered vertex, while there would still be two odd-numbered vertices available. So we should add a wire at C to reduce the odd-numbered vertices to 2 while still letting the ant start at one of those two.

W19: If Bill's age times two equals Rupert's age times three, Bill must have an age divisible by three and Rupert's must be divisible by two. Since we know both boys are under ten, it's pretty quick to check Bill's age against 3, 6 and 9 and see which one works. Bill is 9 and Rupert is 6.

W20: Since there would have to be exactly four parts colored green, D must be the right answer.

W21: The formula contains (x-x) as one of the multiplication terms. (x-x) must be 0, so the whole formula must equal zero.

W22: The only way those locations work out is if there are five rows and five columns, so there are 25 total gems.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Maybe "Don Paolo" is just a different costume and the dude's just super wiry.

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!
Don Paolo's Theme (Live Version)



Okay, so, let's just get right through the DLC from before.



Mostly because, let's be honest, they're either just puzzles we've seen before in this very game or not very difficult anyway. Or both.











































Suspense









History



Alright, now we can get to the important stuff. We'll start off by talking to Krantz, since he seems to know stuff about the Herzen's that we don't yet.



Not at all. Your testimony was incredibly helpful.
Listening to you talk, I got the impression that you are well versed in Herzen family history.
Well, I suppose you could say that.
When he was still alive, Duke Herzen often favoured our fine hotel with his patronage.
I have very warm memories of his kindness towards me even when I was just a lowly bellboy.
Back when the duke was still with us, the whole town buzzed with energy and activity.
But once the mining stopped and the duke passed away, Folsense turned into a gloomy ghost town.
Who was the duke's successor? Did he have any other children?



That's really all I know about the situation, though I've heard our current duke is quite young.
Add the vampire rumours, which I'm sure you've heard, and you know everything I do.

Ah, so I guess he doesn't really know any more than we did.



We'll just head on up to the room now that Don Paolo's gone. This lets us take a photograph without him in the way, letting us finally access that puzzle next to the mirror.


Folsense



Nothing else in the hotel, so we'll go begin to hit the same ol' beaten path for the umpteenth time. Sammy's right here, so we can start with him. Mostly because we have to, since he's blocking the road.



To say thanks, I pulled some strings with the museum curator and got him to open the place up for ya.
It's not much, but maybe you'll find some righteous info there to help your case.
Make sure you check it out!
Thanks, Sam! It got pretty hair back there for a little bit, didn't it?!



Yeah, my uncle never really told me much about it all.



He did talk a lot about the brother he left behind, though. He had a real soft spot for the guy.
But now it looks like that gnarly vampire's running around the castle.
I hate to say it, but I doubt anyone survived that wicked scary monster moving in.



Oh yeah, we're not done with that diary yet, are we? Next page is open now at least.

But, hey, the museum is also open now so let's head straight there.



En route, we'll say hi to Lila though.




Actually, watching you reminded me of a fabulous puzzle I know about a dog. Listen up!

Oh, well in that case, no that's okay. Really.



Alright, NOW we'll head straight to the museum.



There is a bit to do before we enter, however. I'm sure this is a big surprise. We'll start with the fountain because we can examine it now.




It sure it. Actually, it reminds me of a really great puzzle about a fountain. Shall I tell it to you?

Later in the update, Luke. Later in the update.



So now we'll move further towards the entrance...



And stop right here. Gregorio's last puzzle did end with a "1" so I'm sure you see where this is going.




If you can solve this little chess puzzle I've set up, I'll tell you what I know about Folsense.
That sounds fair. Show me what you've got.

Puzzles Remix





1. There are multiple solutions to this one, so before you start busting your brain, try moving things around according to set your own set of rules. It beats just shuffling the piece around randomly.
2. As a general plan of attack, start by traveling around the perimeter of the board, and once you feet the time is right, head toward the center of the board.
3. This puzzle, a variant on the knight's tour, is a classic...but the depth and elegance of its solution have kept it fresh for generations.








Well, now that's just needlessly patronising. Thanks game!

Folsense



Now what was I going to say? Oh yes, the Herzens.
Way back when, Herzen Castle used to be quite the hot spot. Lavish balls would be held there.
Now, though, no one'll go near the place. The castle's supposedly got a vampire living in it.
What I wouldn't give for things to go back to the way they were.



Wow, thanks Gregorio. Next time maybe don't gate "hey there's a vampire in Herzen Castle" behind a puzzle?



Speaking of next time, that's right now since he has another puzzle for us immediately.




We can converse if you want, but first you'll have to solve this chess puzzle of mine.
Fair enough. Let's get to it.

Puzzles Remix





1. Sorry, there aren't any more good hints for us to give. Just have fun solving your way through this classic.
2. Shogi, often known as Japanese chess has a piece similar to the knight in Western chess.
However, unlike western-chess knights, shogi knights can only advance down toward the other end of the board. Perhaps Western knights were just more flexible than their Japanese counterparts.

3. If you're really stuck, take a break by setting a smaller goal. You could try getting stuck in the fewest number of moves possible, or move the knight so that it traces the shape of a letter. Better yet, combine these little games. For example, draw two Y's horizontally, then try to get your knight stuck in as few turns as possible.

For what it's worth, none of these "hints" are even hints. You may have noticed (or not, who knows!) that sometimes the games just gate trivia or nonsense behind hint coins rather than anything helpful.

More important however is that this clearly is not the last of its kind because 6x6 is not a full chessboard.









...Yes, really.

Folsense



I'm so impressed, I'm going to let you in on a secret no one else in town would spill in a hundred years.
A few years ago, an awful thing happened here in town.



Did anyone discover the source of this strange malady?
I wish I could say yes, but it's still a mystery to us.
What I do recall is that many fled the town once word of the illness got around.
But that's as much as I care to speak on that topic. You've solved all my puzzles and I'm tired.
I'm getting back to my game. Hmm, if I... No, then Knight would take Queen, that won't do...

We've wasted enough time, let's head inside the museum and see what it has for us.

History of the Village (High Quality)



Well, this is certainly different. Ahem. We'll grab the coins and talk to that guy. He's prooooobably the curator at least.



We have an extensive collection of artefacts relating to the history of this town and teh Herzen family.
Sammy told me all about you two. I hope you find our resources helpful to your investigation.
Please feel free to peruse the collection to your heart's content.



There's a couple of things we can examine but only after speaking to Grinko. I think the two here are also completely optional but let's just do them anyway.



These appear to be common household items owned by the Herzen family.
Some of them look positively ancient!
Quite. The Herzen family clearly has a long and rich family history.



More interesting and probably relevant is this statue at the back of the room.



This entire museum appears to be dedicated to celebrating his achievements, so I'd have to agree.
But wait a second... I thought Mr Beluga owned this place?
Yes, I believe that's the case.





Now that we've looked at both of these, we'll head further in. We can only go right here, even though left looks like an option too.



This room has a bit going on; there's the usual three hint coins, but there's also a photo to unlock that puzzle on the right. And then there's the two exhibits we can check out too.



We'll start with the painting up top.




I believe so, yes.
The old Duke Herzen died a while ago and left behind a massive fortune.



Sam mentioned that Mr Beluga had an older brother here.
I'd say he's likely the man at the heart of all this talk.



Oh, but then, vampires don't age normally, do they?
Hmm... I couldn't possibly comment.

So, basically, Beluga's brother may in fact be a vampire lord ruling over Folsense from his castle. That, at the end of last update, a random nebulous "that guy" got dragged to. Don't remember? Don't worry, I'm pretty sure the game doesn't either.



Instead, let's check out the other large picture in this room.




Is... this what I think it is?
It's a photograph of the entire Herzen family, who were responsible for Folsense's legendary wealth.
The distinguished older gentleman on the left is Duke Herzen.



That Fredrich... That's Mr Beluga, the founder and owner of the Molentary Express, is it not?
Oh, you know him?
Well, in addition to owning a railway, Fredrich is a friend of mine and owner of this museum.



When he left, he took a small portion of the Herzen wealth and used it to start his railway.
Yes, Fredrich is quite a study in contradictions.



Did the feud extend to all the members of the Herzen family?
No, Fredrich and Anton were always quite close.
But their relationship with their father was never the same after that fateful day...
What day was that, sir?



He was a different man after that. Something changed him.
Greed, perhaps?
Well, yes, there was that. But there was something more than greed infesting his heart.
What do you think that was?



It's not my place to speculate about what goes on in the hearts of other people.
Of course. Tell me this, though, if you can. Where is Anton now?



But I can't imagine anyone would live in a place so run down that people call it a vampire den.
Gracious, look at how long we've been chatting. I think it's time for me to get back to work.
Please look around for as long as you like.
It seems money can't solve all your problems, eh, Professor?
Mm...

Okay, now we will look around as long as we like.



Hey Grinko, we're done. We're leaving now, any ideas on what to do now? You were asking around about the Elysian Box before after all.




Yes, tht's right. Would you happen to know anything about it?
I'm sure you already know that the Elysian Box is a Herzen family heirloom.
At Mr Beluga's request, I've been researching the history of Folsense and the Herzen family.



Intriguing. What is this secret you speak of?
It's easy to ask that question when you don't know what you're getting into, Mr Layton.



Many miners used to keep little diaries down there to document their time below ground.
If you can find one of those, you'll have a first-hand account of what transpired back then.
Thank you for the advice. We'll have a look for ourselves. Come, Luke, let's head to the mine.



Another key, and a new actual goal. It sure beats yet another "I dunno, let's ask random people until we hit a plot hook" segment at least.








Folsense (Live Version)





I'm sure you know the deal by now. Its associated hidden puzzle:





1. It's tempting to think that the answer is to pay each man a coin for each day he worked, resulting in a total of five coins for A and four coins for B. But then that wouldn't be much of a puzzle would it?





1. Wordy problems like this one often have a trap buried somewhere in them. Don't get caught up in the wording. The dad walks at two feet per second, and the daughter walks at one foot per second, so for every second that passes, the distance between the two shrinks by one foot.
2. The father sets out 10 seconds after his daughter. The daughter walks at a rate of one foot per second, so she's already 10 feet ahead of her father when he starts walking. Using what you've heard from this hint and the last one, you should now know that the father catches up to his daughter in 10 seconds.





1. The puzzle asks for you to find a spout that's utterly useless, meaning the spout never gets used. Which one could that be?





And its puzzle...





1. If all you had to do to solve this puzzle was count how many books you can stack in the box before it fills up, it wouldn't be much fun. You'll need to think creatively and in three dimensions to solve this one.
2. The bottom of the box measures 30 inches by 30 inches. Each book is 20 inches by 20 inches, so you can really only fit in one if you place it flat. But if you do that, you'll be left with 10 inches on one side. Say, isn't that the exact same size as the thickness of one book?

Tax Refund
Apr 15, 2011

The IRS gave me a refund. I spent it on this SA account. What was I thinking?!
Photo 001: 1) The lamp by the window is lit in the first picture, but off in the second picture. 2) The number of bottles under the mirror has changed (from two to one). 3) The doorknob is on the opposite side.

114: Um? Is this supposed to be a trick question? The obvious answer is that A would receive 5 coins and B would receive 4, a rate of one coin per day. Why this would be worth 40 picarats is beyond me. If you're supposed to conclude that A worked slower than B, and therefore B actually did more work than A... well, that's not at all implied by the question. So I'm going with "This is a bad puzzle." If it's the obvious answer, it's too simple. And if it's NOT the obvious answer (as the hint coin implies), then the answer is probably that B receives 5 coins and A receives 4... but there's not enough information in the puzzle to figure that out.

109: No need to add a series of fractions here. The daughter had a 10-meter head start, and her dad is catching up to her at a net 1 m/s, so it will take him 10 seconds to catch up. The dog is running the whole time at a rate of 5 m/s, so the dog will run 50 meters total.

090: Since the middle spot has a value of 10, J is useless since it has a theoretical value of 10 but will never fire.

Photo 004: 1) There's one document missing from the display case in the lower right. 2) An extra island has appeared in the map behind the podium that's more or less in the center of the image. 3) The white cuff on the jacket (just behind the painting) has become black.

095: In theory, there's enough volume for six books, but you'd have to cut one in half to make that fit. But here's a layout that fits 5 books into the box (X marks an empty space):

Bottom layer:

AAB
AAB
CCX

Second layer:

DDB
DDB
CCX

Top layer:

EEX
EEX
XXX

But in this layout, book E can slide around inside the box if it gets moved. If we instead flip books D and E so that they're spine-up, we have a layout that not only packs as many books as possible into the box, but also ensures that your books won't slide around inside the box while it's in the moving truck (I mean, why else would you be packing books into a box?):

Bottom layer:

BBA
BBA
CCX

Second layer:

DEA
DEA
CCX

Third layer:

DEX
DEX
XXX

Bacon In A Wok
Jan 27, 2014
114: Assuming that (1) A and B worked at an equal pace and (2) C would have worked at the same pace had he not been 'injured', then C's share of the work is three person-days. A did two-thirds of C's job, B did one-third. A gets six coins, B gets three.

109: Dad catches up with daughter after ten seconds of walking, dog runs a total of fifty meters during that time.

GeneralYeti
Jul 22, 2012

Look at this smug broken asshole.

Bacon In A Wok posted:

114: Assuming that (1) A and B worked at an equal pace and (2) C would have worked at the same pace had he not been 'injured', then C's share of the work is three person-days. A did two-thirds of C's job, B did one-third. A gets six coins, B gets three.

109: Dad catches up with daughter after ten seconds of walking, dog runs a total of fifty meters during that time.

I'd write it out, but yeah, this is exactly how I figured those two out myself.

095: It's just building a mental model. Assuming we have to close the box, it's five books.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
I love how some of these illustrations sell the puzzle.

That tiny dog would completely turn into a tiny pinball, puzzle or no.

Jen X
Sep 29, 2014

To bring light to the darkness, whether that darkness be ignorance, injustice, apathy, or stagnation.
114 is just rude:
There are multiple, mutually exclusive assumptions that could be reasonably made about the issue. Is C paying based off how much of his work they did? Well, we don't know whether they work at equal rates or not. If they do, then A did 2 extra days•(seedings/days) of work of C's 3, and B did 1, so A gets 6 and B gets 3. But this is buried 2 assumptions deep! Suppose we instead assume they work at varying rates, but each do half of the lawn. C now has to just keep a coin, since they've each done half his work for him. Is C paying based on efficiency? Then give B more cash, in inverse relation to the time he took. Maybe it's a daily rate? A gets more, then!

The puzzle is bad, so what I propose is that C keep his cash to himself, and thank them sincerely for their help, because C last took a mathematics course in high school and has no time for this.


90 is insultingly simple.
Can you count to 10? It's J. The middle spout stole his gimmick, and the puzzle should actually have been a math puzzle in base-11 to screw with people.

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!
Folsense (Live Version)



Alright, let's get right to it then!



And, of course, its associated puzzle.






2. Simply put, A and B are getting paid for doing the work C was supposed to do. When considering your answer, don't factor in the days A and B were supposed to work according to the original agreement.




Hm, I think this is the first time in this game that the thread's gotten a puzzle wrong.

...Well, okay, not quite the entire thread. It was roughly a 50-50 split between this and...




3. The coins should be distributed based on the number of days each person worked to cover the three days C was supposed to have worked. A did two days, B did one.

This. And this answer?






Hidden puzzle, so no dialogue worth worrying about.





3. The dog runs at a rate of five feet per second. The father catches up to his daughter in exactly 10 seconds.








You may run around like dogs, but you've got it going on upstairs too, haven't you?
If you both love running around so much, I won't stop you. Besides, it's fun to watch.



The Cinder Horse here is our last tea ingredient! Let's put this to use to make the remaining tea blends.

A Moment of Rest (Live Version)



Oasis Leaf, Citronia Seed and the Cinder Horse.



Brisk Berry, Joy Root Clover and Cinder Horse.



Dream Fluff, Tonic Flower and Cinder Horse for this one.

And our fourth is... special. Not in terms of ingredients, mind.



It's just Joy Root Clover, Peppercherry and Cinder Horse. But what makes it for me is the name and that Layton has never drunk this before either.

Anyway, where were we? Ah, right.


Folsense (Live Version)





2. Read over the conditions that cause each spout to spray water. Then try applying that knowledge. For example, think about how the fountain would indicate the ages of 10 through 20.
3. Spout A fires off to indicate one year, B fires for two, C fires for three, D fires for four, and so on. So, if spout I is meant to indicate nine, then...












And its puzzle:





Really, seems pretty simple to m-




Wait, what?

Oh. Ohhhh! I see.




3. Even if you place three books upright in the box and use two more to fill what gaps you can, you'll still have a good chunk of wasted space on your hands. Fitting the books together in a space-efficient way is of utmost importance in solving this puzzle.

In what I can safely say is a first, no one in the thread got this one right. I know, I'm surprised too!






Right, so what about the important stuff?


Suspense









History of the Village (High Quality)



Before we set off towards the mine, since we're already here we'll help out Grinko with his thirst problem.



The other day, while thumbing through an old account of castle provisions, I discovered something.
Interesting. Please do continue. I have a weak spot for matters of this sort.
I read an account about a very special tea.



Sadly, it seems the ingredients for this wondrous tea have been lost to the sands of time.
Oh, what I wouldn't give for a chance to savour that historic blend...
I suppose that's impossible now. Sigh...
Not necessarily, my good man.
Perhaps we can use modern ingredients to recreate this legendary tea.
Your knowledge of tea is clearly expansive, Mr Layton, but... could it really be possible?
I can't guarantee I'll get it right, but I'll see what I can come up with.



The clue here is a bit abstract but the Cinder Horse is described as smoky, and where there's smoke there's fire after all. The Joy Root Clover is pretty obvious, for its part, but its the Peppercherry that pushes this one over the Clover Quencher because that's a spicy ingredient. That's basically it.



Ah, now tha's a legendary tea. The nuanced flavour almost moved me to tears.
I aim to please, sir.
Ahhhh. You'll have to excuse me. I haven't become so emotional over a cup of tea in a long time.
It's not much, but let me share this puzzle with you. It's really all I can do to say thanks.

Oh, there's no need. Sidequest completion is thanks enough.



Now we can head on over to the mine. It's not really that far awa-


Folsense (Live Version)



Hm, it seems we still have work to do here. Very well then.



Are you all right, sir?
To be honest, I've been better, sonny boy. The name's Gregorio, and I love chess like pigs love mud.
I've been standing here all day pondering my next move and, well, it's pretty brutal work.
Would a cup of tea help that thirst of yours?
That'd be mighty kind of you, sonny boy.
I'll see what I can make. Once you're refreshed, thinking up your next move should be much easier.



This one's very easy and pretty straight forward, honestly.



Ahhh, now that's a refreshing cup of tea! Oh, of course! Queen to Bishop 6. Check!
See? A little tea can work wonders! You've already found your next move!
As my way of saying thanks, here's a little factoid for you, sonny.
In the Herzen Museum, you can find books with the chess strategies used by aristocrats of the past.
The peculiar thing is that no new strategies have been developed in the last 50 years.
It's almost like time has stopped.

Y'know, now that we have every tea blend and this is our best opportunity to finish up in the town proper... let's do that, then.



There's a fair few folks left in Folsense who we still have to give a drink to. Hopper right here is the closest to the museum, so we'll start by heading in this direction.




Reminiscing, are we?
Yeah... Back in the day we had this cafe in town that brewed the most amazing tea.
I mean, folks would flock to Folsense by the hundreds to taste this wonder tea, as it was called.
It sounds like that cafe was the place to be.
Too right it was!
You know, you look like you know a thing or two about tea.
I don't suppose you could brew me a cup of that wonder tea, would you?
It's certainly a challenge I'm willing to take up. I'll see what I can do.
Well, good luck to you. I kind of rememebr that the tea had something spicy going on.
But that's all the help I can give you.



After the previous use of this tea was basically "nothing else quite fits the description as well," this becomes much more obvious. I think so, anyway.



Me and my mates would play cards late into the night while downing cup after cup of this.
I wasn't sure you had it in you, but you really came through for me here. Cheers mate!
Glad to be of assistance, my good man.
You're a brainy one, but you're not the first clever-clogs to visit this town. We used to get loads of 'em.



We played cards and put the world to rights. He was in town researching something or other.
I wonder if he ever found what he was looking for.



Of course, while we're making this lap around the town there are a few more puzzles to pick up for good measure.



I'd be delighted to, sir.

Puzzles Remix





1. Your options for a first jump are pretty limited. It has to be one of the four balls surrounding the center ball. The tough part is deciding what to do next. For your second move, pop a ball into the space that opened up when you moved your first ball.
2. Next, move a ball into the open center space.
3. Read carefully, because this next move is key. You need to take the ball now sitting in the center space and move it in the direction that you moved your ball in the first move. The rest of the puzzle is up to you.

Oh, but most of the puzzles we can find sort of really cannot be handled in-thread.






Folsense (Live Version)



I heard talk that the vampire living up in Herzen Castle attacks anyone who gets close.
That's the word from some people who just barely escaped the castle with their lives.
Pretty wild stuff, ain't it?
So that's why everyone in town starts shivering when we talk about the forest.
Yep. But here's the thing. So just mentioning the place makes people jump out their skin, right?



Sure, they're all scared and some have wet trousers, but they're no worse for the wear.
That is odd. So what do you think is going on out there?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Everyone says they escaped by the skin of their teeth, but I dunno about all that.



I would say that we'll take this path around so as to maximise the use of our time. Problem is, everyone along that path has had their drink dilemma resolved already! We'll take it anyway, just in case there's a new puzzle there though.



Speaking of which, we'll duck into this alleyway for a moment to see Gertie again.




I've been knocking them out extra fast, so there are more now than ever before.
Unfortunately, just like before, I can't get even two of them to come out the same size.

Puzzles Remix





1. Having trouble? Just follow the hints given to you in Pancake Stacks 2. This is the last hint you're going to get for this kind of puzzle. So it would be a waste to spend another hint coin here.
2. Looks like you went and spent that hint coin coin anyway. Must be nice having hint coins to burn. OK then, here's a little fun fact for you. These pancake puzzles are based on a puzzle called the Tower of Hanoi, which can be solved using a basic concept in computer science known as recursion. Sure, it's not much of a hint, but it is interesting stuff, isn't it?
3. Well, look at that, you spent yet another hint coin. All right, moneybags, time for more fun facts. Edouard Lucas, the man who thought up the Tower of Hanoi puzzle, introduced the puzzle saying that it was based on an Indian myth detailing the creation and destruction of the world. Though the myth is quite fascinating, many people believe Lucas fabricated it.

These still aren't difficult, at least.






Folsense (Live Version)



If anyone else had tried to stack 'em like that, they'd be buried in a mountain of batter right now.



Following the path back and down the right-side of Folsense brings up back to the hotel in due time, and... with nothing en route, but TWO people here. Who both need our assistance. Alright, Opal first.



You seem troubled, madam. May I be of any assistance to you?
Yes, I'm quite troubled, and what's worse, I have no one with whom I can discuss the matter.
Well, how would you like a hot cup of tea? If nothing else, it should bring a bit of cheer to your day.
Well, I am tired of mulling over the issue, so I suppose I might as well take a break.
I don't mean to sound picky, but please keep in mind that I have certain preferences.
On a day like today, I do believe a nice, strong tea with a pinch of Dream Fluff is in order.



Very straightforward, this time.



Mmm, yes, this tea is just the thing I needed to lift my sagging spirits.
Could I trouble you to lend me your opinion, kind sir?
There's been some trouble in my family, and to be quite frank, it's been a bit much for me.
But of course. Please continue.



However, the way he demanded his property be divided is simply baffling.
In what sense, madam?
The specifics are written up like a strange riddle. Until we can decipher it, no one gets anything.

Unfortunately for her, this is a bit much for me too...



Next up, we've got Sammy to help out. Again.




This is my strumming arm, man. How am I supposed to hold my axe when I'm all tense like this?
I didn't know you could play the guitar, Sam!
Aw yeah, born to rock, man! But hey, I hear there's a tea that fixes, like, everything.



Hmm... That's certainly the first time I've heard of such a tea.
Yeah, man. I'm, uh, a little foggy on the specifics, but I hear all sorts of good stuff about that blend.
One sip fills you with energy AND mellows you out at the same time! Far out, huh?
Now, everything I'm sayin's just a rumour I heard, but if that tea's out there, I gotta get me some!
Well, you've intrigued me, Sammy. Let's see if we can't discover the composition of this mystery blend.
Wha-? For real? You're gonna make me a cup of the magic juice? Oh, man, this is gonna be sweet!



"Works against sickness of all kinds" makes it very obvious that it's this we want. You might have thought it would be the Root Remedy but nope.



YEEEEEEOW! That tea is so good, it made me hit a high note, man. Talk about an original flavour.
To top it off, my shoulders feel loose and ready to tackle whatever guitar solo's coming my way.
Rock fans of the future are going to remember you as the man who saved Sammy Thunder's career!

That's really not necessary. Really.



But Sammy also has a puzzle, so let's see what this is about.




Things are coming along nicely, thank you for asking.
Oh, but Sam, as the conductor, is it all right for you to be away from the train like this?
Pfft, man, forget that train. Even if I cared, today's supposed to be my day off.
But here I am. First I get sent off after the Elysian Box and then I'm accused of murder!
It's a total drag! Sammy Thunder's no murderer, man!
After all that craziness, it's definitely time to chill out with a puzzle. Here, check it out.

I checked it out and my head is still spinning a bit from that one...





We'll just head a little bit further south, and finally get the chance to help out Rory. He's been kind of useful the entire time we've been here, thinking about, huh?




I don't suppose you know anything about fortune-telling, do you?
What sort of divination do you have in mind?
There's this tea with Oasis Leaf in it that lets you predict peoples' love lives.
Wow, I've never heard of any tea like that. Professor, can we try making a cup? Pleeease?
I'm all for experiments, Luke.
We'll give it a go, but tell me, whose love life will we be forecasting?
Well, I'm a handsome lad, so I don't really need my romantic fortune told...
But if you're brewing it anyway, I'll read the leaves when it's done.
That... sounds fine. Now, let's get to brewing, shall we?



Fortunately, the description here outright tells you that it is this one.



Oh yeah, these will do nicely.
See how the tea leaves are positioned just so? They're trying to tell us something.
Cool! So, what can you see?
Hmm, it doesn't look good for the poor lad.
What lad? Whose love life did you just peek into?



I decided to see how that relationship's gonna work out.
Oh... that sounds like bad news, doesn't it?
I mean, it's only a matter of time before he breaks down and drinks her blood.
Too right. Oh yeah, just as I thought, this one's gonna end in tears.
I don't know if you really need tea leaves to see that.

No, that's kind of a bit redundant. It should be obvious that's never going to work.



Equally obvious is that Rory now has a puzzle for us as well.




I've given you a taste of the glitz and glamour, so how's about giving this game a whirl?

Puzzles Remix





1. Wow, these puzzles are really getting tough. Here's a hint to take the edge off this puzzle. Start by clearing the ball three from the edge in the bottom row.
2. Next, move the ball on the edge of the bottom row to fill the space that opened up when you removed a bal in your first move. Then repeat the process detailed in Hints One and Two on the other side of the triangle, and move the balls around until you're left with a number of balls arranged in a shape that resembles a pine tree. The rest is up to you.
3. Hey, didn't Hint Two clearly say, "The rest is up to you"? Well, just know that you won't be able to rely on too many hints in the Disappearing Act puzzles to come! You can have a hint this time, though.
Select one of the balls one in from the outer edge of the pine tree and jump it upward. Then, from this new location, jump over the tip of the tree OK, this time, the rest really is up to you.


Still fairly easy honestly.



The puzzle says they're getting pretty tough but I didn't have much of an issue with this one.










Now we'll head back towards the mine. It's in the one place we haven't gone yet, because until now we couldn't. Time to finally see what lies beyond that broken gate...







Puzzles Remix





1. The answer to this puzzle won't simply pop into your head when you make some key realization. You need to work your way to it. Three different cubes are touching three different faces of the cube in question. Find the letters that must be on those face of the unmareked cube.
2. If the unmarked cube had its faces restored to it all four letters on the right side of the big cube would be Cs. Note how all four Cs don't point the same way.





1. There are 16 squares of land and four people to divide it among, so every person should receive a parcel of land consisting of four squares.





1. Sammy's work-and-rest schedule repeats itself every five days.

Bruceski
Aug 21, 2007

The tools of a hero mean nothing without a solid core.

Is adding seahorses to tea something Brits usually do?

Oblivion4568238
Oct 10, 2012

The Inquisition.
What a show.
The Inquisition.
Here. We. Go.
College Slice
091: Man, this one was so simple I accidentally solved it just by checking my first hunch! I had to put it up here after that, contribute at least one answer to this LP. Link

Bacon In A Wok
Jan 27, 2014
094: Yay, more assumptions. On the two cubes on the rightmost side, the open end of the 'C' always points towards a 'D' face. The cube just below the mystery cube therefore has a 'D' on its topmost face, and the mystery cube has a 'D' on its bottommost face. Topmost face is a 'B'.

Ignatius M. Meen
May 26, 2011

Hello yes I heard there was a lovely trainwreck here and...

067: Sammy works three days and gets two days off in a five day cycle. There are 365 days in a year, which divided by 5 comes out to 73 cycles, and since we're looking for the number of days he works the answer is 73 * 3 = 219 days.

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!

Bruceski posted:

Is adding seahorses to tea something Brits usually do?

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm fairly certain that Jeremy Clarkson has/does.

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!

its a link

Lots of updates (4) on this page already, fairly lengthy (relatively) etc. etc. Lots of gifs and stuff too, so there's that. Really, there's just a lot of reasons to Test Poster this one again. And probably the next one or two as well, for good measure.

Ignatius M. Meen
May 26, 2011

Hello yes I heard there was a lovely trainwreck here and...

087:

066: Turning the red dial 1 notch clockwise causes the blue dial to turn 1 notch counter-clockwise. Since 0 on red is 5 on blue, the combination used on red to match 3641 on blue is 2714.

079: B

081: The first guess in this game of Mastermind reveals that the digits used in the code are 0, 1, 4, and 5. The third guess has two digits in the right spots, which in combo with the first guess shows us that the code is 01xx (because those are the only two repeated numbers between both guesses). With this info we can see that the second guess gives us the final two digits, since the 0 is clearly the white peg digit and the 3 does not belong in the code. The code to open the safe is thus 0154.

Tax Refund
Apr 15, 2011

The IRS gave me a refund. I spent it on this SA account. What was I thinking?!
087:
DHCS
SCHD
HDSC
CSDH


Photo 006: 1. No bush by the right side of the entrance. 2. Pickaxe handle missing from cart in lower right. 3. Circle (wooden log seen end-on) missing from lowest point on left side of entrance.

066: The description isn't very clear, but it seems to be saying that when you turn the red dial clockwise, the blue one turns counterclockwise. In that case, turn the red dial to 2, 7, 1, and 4 in that order.

079: Towards B.

078: Using chess notation where the entrace is A1 and the exit is C3, the key door is the one between B1 and B2. If it opened the other way, you could go A1-B1-B2-A2-A3-B3-C3-C2-C1, then go back to B1 and do the whole sequence between B1 and C3 again -- only this time go out the exit. The puzzle never said that you can only go through each room ONCE...

081: Ooh, Mastermind! I'll label the rows A through D from top to bottom, so I can talk about rows without getting mixed up with numbers.

Looking at B and D, it's clear that 3 and 4 can't BOTH be correct since D only had one orange light. So the 5 in B had to have been correct, since moving it in D turned off one orange light and turned on one white light. Now looking at row C, I'm guessing on instinct that its 1 is correct, which gives us .15. and the code must be (looking at A) 0154. Checking... yes, 0154 is correct.

Palladium
May 8, 2012

Very Good
✔️✔️✔️✔️
081:

1. Row one confirms solution must have a permutation containing digits of 0, 1, 4 and 5 each. Digits 2 and 3 are completely eliminated.
2. Following above, row three confirms first digit as 0 and second digit as 1.
3. Following above, 0 must be in the wrong position in row second, leaving third digit as 5 and fourth digit as 4, as the only possible permutation left.

Solution = 0154. QED

Palladium fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Jul 29, 2016

Kangra
May 7, 2012

87: Using R for row and C for column: With the initial positioning, only a spade can be placed in C3R3. That leaves only C4R1 for a spade in Row 1, and the diagonal forces a club to C1R4, meaning a spade is in C1R2. Also, C2R1 is a heart. That's Row 1 and Column 1 filled. From there, it's relatively easy to fill Column 2 (HCDS) and then Column 4 (SDCH), and finally Column 3. Completed:

DHCS
SCHD
HDSC
CSDH


66: The answer is 2714. Interestingly enough, there's a symmetry between the two (the blue value for a given red is the same as the value to set red to get the blue equal to the original red value). I haven't given it enough thought to see if that's a necessary outcome.

78:The bottom center room currently has no way to exit, so one of those doors must switch. If the red door switches, then the maze entrance has no exit, so that can't be it. If the purple door switches, the lower left room has no exiting door. Therefore, it must be the cyan door in that room (leading to the center), and that will work.

This one gave me fits until I realized you don't have to visit every room only once.


81: Clearly this safe combo was set by Lgnikoo Gssal.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Of course Layton would want to meet a vampire. Do you know how many puzzles something knows that's been alive for so long?

Discendo Vox
Mar 21, 2013

We don't need to have that dialogue because it's obvious, trivial, and has already been had a thousand times.

quote:

Carry one of those around with you and campires won't be the only ones trying to stay out of your way.

quote:

If you can learn to relac, your eyes might feel better. How about a cup of nice tea to that end?
Great LP, sorry I'm not chiming in more.

Discendo Vox fucked around with this message at 00:17 on Aug 1, 2016

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!
Thanks for catching those; they should be fixed now. Well, should be fixed as of a few days ago but details.

I can't promise that there aren't any typos in the next update though. :v:




Oh right, speaking of which!

Kangra
May 7, 2012

#82: Connecting top part to bottom: 1 to 4, 3 to 1.

#77: e: nm, that approach made no sense and was almost certainly wrong.

#121: Starting from the upper left: C1R1, C2R2, C3R4, C4R3 covers all rows and columns, plus the diagonals.

#097: Label the blocks from the upper left as A, B, C, etc. Then A, C, and G are fixed; the others can move. Since Block I has two stars in every direction, it can only be placed in the center or left of it. Also, Block F must go in the top middle, since that's the only way to finish the top row. This means Block I is on the left, and from there we can get to to solution:

A F C
I B D
G E H



#125: I find it harder to notate this solution: Using rough compass directions, head E, N twice, SW, NW, SW, NNE, NE, SE, N twice, W twice, NE twice, S, SE twice, then N and out.

Kangra fucked around with this message at 09:54 on Aug 3, 2016

Tax Refund
Apr 15, 2011

The IRS gave me a refund. I spent it on this SA account. What was I thinking?!
082: The positive and negative terminals are:

-.+.

+..-

Connect top 1 to bottom 4, and top 3 to bottom 1.


077: Looking at the weights, clearly the crescent moon is the light one, the sphere is the medium one, and the star is the heavy one. That means the weights from left to right right now are:
7, 4, 5, 3, 7
So we want to add a weight of 1, which is the light ornament: the crescent moon shape.


121: You'll need at least one lamp at the end of the three short diagonal roads. For best efficiency, they should be at the top of the leftmost diagonal road, at the bottom of the middle diagonal road, and at the bottom of the rightmost diagonal road. That covers all the vertical and horizontal roads except for the leftmost vertical and topmost horizontal, and adding one more lamp at the upper-left corner will take care of that.

So in chess notation with A1 being the lower-left intersection and D4 being the upper-right, place lamps at: A4, B3, D1, C2.


Out of time for now; I'll come back and finish the other puzzles in a few hours.

122: Using chess notation, A1 is the lower-left intersection and E5 is the upper-right intersection. A5 and B5 and B4 aren't really intersections, but this keeps things consistent. The lower-right diagonal road goes between D2 and E1; a lamp at D2 would be partly redundant with the C2-D3 road's lamp, so we'll put this one at E1. The leftmost diagonal is most efficient if placed at B2 rather than C3, since that takes care of the short vertical road in the B column, which means that the C2-D3 road's lamp should go on D3. Lamps so far: B2, D3, E1. Rows 4 and 5 still need coverage, and columns A and C still need coverage. C5 will cover C and 5 completely, and A4 will cover A and 4 completely, so we're done. Place lamps at: A4, B2, C5, D3, E1.

Photo no. 7: skipping.

097: Got back to it. Here's a link to my solution: http://lpix.org/2527568/097-solved.png

125: A good rule of thumb for each step is to look at each adjacent clearing and see how many unvisited clearings it connects to (the one you're standing in is clearly visited). If it only connects to one unvisited clearing, then that's where you HAVE to go next or you'll never be able to get back to it without visiting at least one clearing twice. So the first step we should take is the clearing just to the east of the starting point. Then north, and now we have an actual choice.

Also, there's a forced path right in the middle of the puzzle. Starting with the clearing that's North-then-North from the start point, the forced path goes N, N, W, W-ish, N-ish, NE. At this point we're right next to the exit, so if we've visited all the other clearings, we can leave. But that's not likely, for reasons I can't manage to explain clearly in text. More likely is that we'll have to go S, Se, SE, then N to the exit.

So once we step onto the clearing that's N, N from the start, we now have a forced path to the exit. We therefore must find a path from the start to that N,N clearing that doesn't touch any of the clearings along the forced path. And with that constraint, the puzzle becomes solvable by eye.

First half of the path, from the start point:

Go E, N, N, SW, NW, SW, N, NE, SE. Now we're at the start of that forced path. From here, go:

N, N, W, W-ish, N-ish, NE, S, SE, SE, N to the exit.

Tax Refund fucked around with this message at 13:33 on Aug 4, 2016

Bacon In A Wok
Jan 27, 2014
077: The stars must be 'heavy', or else there is no solution. If the moons are 'light', weight on the left is 5x1 + 3x2 and weight on the right is 2x1 + 1x2 + 2x3, so 1 weight (a moon) is needed. If the moons are 'medium', weight on the left is 3x1 + 5x2 and weight on the right is 1x1 + 2x2 +2x3 so 2 weight (still a moon) is needed. Moon.

121: Counting the upper left corner as (1,1) and the upper right corner as (1,4), then a lamp must go in (3,4) to light the lowest diagonal pathproperly and not overlapping any other lamp use. Second lamp then goes at (4,3) to light the rightmost diagonal; third at (2,2) to light the leftmost diagonal; fourth back at (1,1) to clear the rest. (1,1); (2,2); (4,3); (3,4).

122: Five lamps will be needed. The first goes at (5,5) to light the bottom diagonal. Second and third go at (3,4) and (4,2) to get the other two lit. Next goes at (2,1) to illuminate a column, and last at (1,3). (1,3); (2,1); (3,4); (4,2); (5,5).

097: link.

Reasoning: Columns 1 and 2 needed 3 stars each and had 1 star per column fixed, so the 4-star square filled the free space. Row 1 needed 3 stars, had 2 and row 2 needed 3 stars, had 1, so the 3-star free piece that filled its gap also moved. Next, placed the other 3-star square into the bottom right corner (necessity; placing it anywhere else would create a row or column with 4+ stars). This required that the 2-star piece go into bottom center to fill rows 5 and 6 properly, and the rest became fairly trivial.

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!
....Would you believe that I somehow missed a puzzle out from the end of the last update? And didn't notice until I started writing the next one? Because I did. Oops. :sweatdrop:

Already edited it into the end of the update but here it is for convenience!





1. The fewest number of lamps you need is six.
2. There are six horizontal paths and six vertical paths, so you know you need at least six lamps just to light all of them. Use that as your starting point.

Tax Refund
Apr 15, 2011

The IRS gave me a refund. I spent it on this SA account. What was I thinking?!
123: This time the grid system is A1-F6, where A1 doesn't even exist: the road goes from A2 to B2 to B1.

There are four diagonal roads: A5-B4, B3-C2, C4-D5, and D3-E2. If we place a lamp at B3, that forces lamps at A5 and E2, and the A5 lamp then forces a lamp at C4. If we place a lamp at C2, that forces lamps at D3 and D5, which is less efficient. So we'll go with B3, A5, E2 and C4 for our first lamps. To cover row 1, we need D1, and that leaves F6 to cover the last two roads. Solution: A5, B3, C4, D1, E2, F6.

Lotus Aura
Aug 16, 2009

KNEEL BEFORE THE WICKED KING!


Short one today, but probably the last one for this page so that's something I guess?

Also uh next one should be pretty quick, relatively, too. That's more important probably maybe.

Ignatius M. Meen
May 26, 2011

Hello yes I heard there was a lovely trainwreck here and...

Gonna use Up/Down/Left/Right notation for the ice puzzles:

126 - URDLURU

127- ULURDRDRULDRDRU

128 - URULDLDRDRULU

Last one isn't clear and I don't care for it.

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Kangra
May 7, 2012

Fans of this update would enjoy the Tilt mazes of Robert Abbott and Andrea Gilbert.

#126 - N, E, S, W, N, E, N

#127 - N, W, N, E, S, E, S, E should put us in the bottom right corner. Then N, W, S, E, S, E, N to exit.

#128 - Easier than the last one. N, E, N, W, S, W, S, E, S, E, N, W, N.

#100 There must be something about the mechanics that a screenshot isn't conveying. Reading the hints only makes it more confusing.

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