CD-GOTD05 (Jun 24, 2022)
Puzzle
“A fee to enter.”
Knowledge | 2 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: First off, this puzzle is incredibly difficult. Now, look at CD-GOTD04 to figure out what exactly anyone's 'entering'.
Clue 2: In CD-GOTD04, No. I says he has an idea of how No. V wants to enter the Akashic Records. What has No. V been alluding to 'needing' in the early Adynamia receipts? Well, to be exact, No. V doesn't say it himself. No. I says it.
Clue 3: Look at CD-IH8H01, and remember both Victoria's last name and what 'Aevhir' translates to.
Clue 4: While you're doing that, take a look at the only other Archive in which the Akashic Records appear: Enter The Light. If you know your Cafe Crisis well (or, y'know, you've solved CD-GOTD04, which is kinda needed for this one), you should know roughly which sub-archive the Akashic Records play a role in. Of course, neither of those Archives have been restored on the actual website (as of writing), but at least you've got the Wiki.
Clue 5: Now put the name of that sub-archive together with both Aevhir and what she says in C-IH8H03. What is needed to open the Akashic Records?
Answer and Explanation
Answer: True Name
Explanation: Umbra is in the Akashic Records, and there is a fee to enter. Shaka set things up so that Warden could pay the fee. Warden mentions what this is but does not tie it to being the fee, specifically in IH8H03. In IH8H03, it says “True names hold unimaginable power.”. Additionally, you can see that in Enter The Light - in which the Akashic Records take the most prominence - there is a story arc named First Name Basis.
Summary of Receipt
IV confirms that Umbra is in the Akashic Records, likely searching for a copy of the Enochian Bible. To enter, you need to say your true name. Thankfully, VII knows her true name, and V is (allegedly) willing to give up his own as well to accompany her. Of course, there’s still the fake Umbra. The two main theories are that either ‘Umbra’ is a piece of the Morbid King, or just a regular shadow that the Morbid King made to look like Umbra. Of course, there are other theories, like that this Umbra is the resurrected Al Crow, the Great Beast, but those are less likely.
Transcript
[BRANCH] THE LAST CAFE
[SERVER] IV
[DATE] 6/24/22
[INDEX ID] GOTD05
[SECURITY] AND & ARCHIVES
I've found him. I've found Umbra*. My hunch proved to be correct. Umbra the Hatman hasn't left the Akashic Records since September 2019. I can only assume he's been searching for another copy of the Enochian Bible. While entirely improbably, it is, admittedly, possible that a second copy exists within the Records. Though I don't know the specifics of how the Akashic Records work, I hope that the source of all connected, conscious knowledge has a few backup copies available. Though, what I believe Umbra has been after would be a near-copy or replication of the original. Reality-altering books are like horseshoes and hand grenades; "close" usually is good enough**.
Now the question becomes two-fold, how do we get into the Akashic Records, and how do we convince Umbra to join us? I believe V has already planned these out well in advance. While at least four of our current employees have been to the Records once before, the security has tightened considerably. From what III has told me, the main requirement has remained unchanged. We need someone to speak their true name to gain access. This typically would be a very long process that could take years or lifetimes to complete. However, we have an Elder among our ranks with a true name for the taking***. I believe V has also offered up his true name to accompany her. From there, he claims to have something Umbra wants, something worth joining the Last Cafe.
Of course, this also leaves us with one very fake Umbra. A fake Umbra who has been loyally at the Morbid King's side since 2020. We have a few suspects. Though the two most likely suspects are that he is either A) the Morbid King himself, simply splitting his body. B) a no-name shadow that the Morbid King shaped into a fake Umbra. Terribly unexciting, I know. Life often is rather mundane. Of course, there are more interesting suspects as well, the most interesting being that this fake Umbra is the remains/resurrected body of Dr. Crow/Al Crow/The Great Beast. Wouldn't that be an exciting twist?
* The real, Umbra, of course. Not the puppet in service of the Morbid King.
** Speaking from experience, of course.
*** I hardly believe this to be true. There is no way that Shaka of Zulu would give up his true name, especially in service of the Cafe and Diner. I assume he has another cleverer way of entering the Records, which he keeps entirely to himself.