CD-WMO05 (Oct 10, 1988)

CD-WMO05

Puzzle

"XLIII."
Baltimore Trivia | 4 Words

Clue

Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: Trusted Associate has a love for poetry.
Clue 2: Specifically French poetry, and more specifically François Villon.
Clue 3: Just the first line will do.

Answer and Explanation

Answer: Ce Monde N’est Perpetuel
Explanation: François Villon's Le Testament is one of Manager 646's favorite poem collection. The 43rd poem starts with "Ce Monde N’est Perpetuel".

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⚠️BEWARE: THIS IS DECLASSIFIED INFORMATION. WARY EYES ONLY. ENTER AT OWN RISK.⚠️

Summary of Receipt

Baltimore leaves another receipt. Apparently he didn’t just travel back in time, he recreated the universe, probably from the 15th Sphere to the 16th. He apparently used the ‘Pocketwatch’, which hasn’t been used for eons so there’s some time dilation - presumably that means things don’t match up 100%, like Jack Octo taking the position of 8. In the 15th Sphere, the Mantle of 8 was passed from Manager 8 to him, then to Jenni, then Nikki who split the Mantle into three and gave it to Jericho, Joy and Julius, who returned all three to Nick. And then the apocalypse started and everyone died, so Baltimore, by giving up his role as the Topside’s Otherman, should have re-inherited the Mantle. But he didn’t - it’s with Jack. And yet Jack Octo should not exist; he was deleted from reality. Baltimore promises to save him this time around.

Transcript

AND RECEIPT
RECEIPT NUMBER: WMO05
RECEIPT DATE: 10 10 19XX
MANAGER TITLE: BALTIMORE
RECEIPT NOTES:

Well, this is rather strange. Although, I suppose I should have known things would be stranger than expected. It’s not every day the universe is recreated on a whim. The time dilation—that was expected. The Pocketwatch hadn’t been wound for eons, so of course, it’s off by a minute or two. But I’m almost certain part of the deal I struck included keeping my title of 8. Not only was I promised the title and everything that comes with it, but Jack Octo shouldn’t be here. Chronologically, it makes no sense.

There are two possibilities. Well, there’s an infinite number of possibilities, but for the sake of argument, I’ve narrowed it down to two for now.

I do not like the first possibility: that I’m wrong and know nothing. It stings to admit it, but when dealing with matters of cosmic complexity, what else can I say? As I understood it, Jack Octo gave me the mantle of 8. I passed it to Jenni. Jenni gave it to Nikki. Nikki split the mantle between Jericho, Joy, and Julius. The three of them passed it to Nick. The apocalypse happened. Nick died with the mantle. From there, it should have gone to the next in line, but I assume they also perished, considering, well, the apocalypse. By making the deal and relinquishing my role as the Otherman, I returned to a mortal state—flesh and blood. So, the mantle should have cycled back to me. I thought it did. It should have gone through the line of succession and eventually it looped back.

Which brings me to the second possibility—the one I prefer, if only because it suggests I know more than I give myself credit for. The mantle did loop back. Back to Jack Octo. But Jack Octo died. No, he was removed. He doesn’t exist. Didn’t exist. He shouldn’t exist. Yet, in creating a new universe, somehow, his deletion from reality was undone.

I know the Pocketwatch is powerful. Well, of course it is, no? But to undo the unthinkable? One could even call it an act of God. In any case, Jack Octo being here means I can save him this time. I will save him this time. I swear it. And if I can save Jack Octo, what could stop me from saving everyone? They say Fate works in mysterious ways, but I work in unexpected ones.

Yours to be,

Jean-Marc Chausson