View source for CD-GAS01 (Dec 8, 2021)

<span style="font-size: 40px;"><strong><center>CD-GAS01</center></strong></span>
__TOC__
<h1>Puzzle</h1>
<p style="text-align:center;font-size: 20px">“1:4 Grounds-To-Water.”<br>
Knowledge | 1 Word</p>
<h1>Clue</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px"><strong>Hover over the clues if you require!</strong></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 1: <span class="spoiler-text">What's a 1:4 ratio of coffee grounds to water called?</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 2: <span class="spoiler-text">Oh, we have an employee with that name.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Clue 3: <span class="spoiler-text">But what's his name...</span></span><br>

<h1>Answer and Explanation</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Answer: <span class="spoiler-text">Shaka</span></span><br>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Explanation: <span class="spoiler-text">A 1:4 ratio is called a Lungo. There's an employee from the Second Cafe with that name, and the notes in the Hall of Fame make Shaka a plausible guess.</span></span>
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<span style="font-size: 20px; color:orange"><strong><center>⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️</center></strong></span><br>
<h1>Summary of Receipt</h1>
<span style="font-size: 20px">Employee 44 explains who Secret is. More aptly known as the Pale Horse, Death, he intervenes in the Universe through his proxy, Shaka of Zulu, and the entire Zulu cult. Their secrets are forbidden to be revealed by the oath of Zilence, where new recruits have their mouths sewed shut until Shaka is satisfied that, like Employee 17, the recruits won’t divulge Secret’s secrets. He also mentions that the Cold Elders - the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - may not all have the same goal in mind. While the Wicked and Fate are definitely enemies of the Mantle of 8, Phantom is rather ambivalent on the whole thing and Secret may well be an ally.</span>
<h1>Transcript</h1>
<span>[BRANCH] ASTORIA<br>
[SERVER] EMPLOYEE NO. 44<br>
[DATE] 12/8/21<br>
[INDEX ID] GAS01<br>
[SECURITY] AND & ARCHIVES<br>
My goodness. It occurred to me the other day that we talk a lot about the Cold, but I don’t believe we’ve given a formal introduction to all four of them yet. There have been many receipts and run-ins with the Wicked, of course, and just last month, we had a surprise visit from the Phantom. And it goes without saying we have often crossed paths with Fate itself as well. But we often overlook Secret, the silent member of the group. So I thought it might be good to divulge a bit of the Secret’s mystique to help illuminate the threat we are up against.

Secret, the pale horse of the group, likes to keep to their name. A secret. Though we have actually had numerous encounters with the corporeal form of Secret, he is probably better known as Shaka of Zulu. Perhaps it comes as a surprise, perhaps not, but Shaka is not entirely human. Though he is also not wholly inhuman either. He is undoubtedly a man of mystery and secrets, the most damning of which is held under lock and key under the “Code of Zilence.” A blood oath of sorts was made between the Zulu cultists and Shaka. If you ask me, it is a rather gruesome affair where the devotees have their lips literally sewn shut for months at a time. A fun way to figure out how long a person has been in the Zulu cult is based on whether or not they can talk, as it is hard to tell otherwise with their masks on. Of course, as our own No. 17 can attest to, the thread eventually comes undone once Shaka is satisfied his secrets are safe behind your lips. I’ve heard the price for sharing a sacred “zecret” of the Zulus is a fate worse than death, and I am inclined to believe it. 

So how are we to know anything about the enigmatic Secret if the only people who do know anything are sworn to utter silence? Well, it’s a problem, alright. Not one that is easily solved. Not yet anyway. Of course, No. 17 knows quite a bit about Secret and their plans and involvement with the Cold. But he can’t say a word about it. He can’t even hint at the truth. However, I have a feeling that whatever it is that Secret is planning, it might not be so bad. Comparatively, of course. He is still one of the four signs of the Apocalypse. But as Phantom said, the Cold isn’t necessarily chasing the same goals. While the Wicked tries to set the world on fire and Fate plans to see it so… strange as he may be, Shaka has been on our side more often than not.</span>