C-TBP05 (Oct 24, 1988)
Puzzle
"16 9: -1 11 1 3,4 37,5."
Cipher | 1 Word
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: ??
Clue 2: ??
Clue 3: ??
Answer and Explanation
Answer: Chaos
Explanation: The numbers 16 and 9 correspond to the letters 'Pi' when run through A1Z26; matching the digits of pi past the decimal point to the other numbers (so -1 is 3, 1 is 1, 2 is 4, and so on) and then A1Z26-ing that gives the word 'Chaos'.
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
CAFE RECEIPT
RECEIPT NUMBER: TBP05
RECEIPT DATE: 10 24 1988
MANAGER TITLE: EIGHT
RECEIPT NOTES:
So, what’s buried in the ruins of Eridu—the last city of Arcadia and, consequently, the first city of the Flipside? Beats me. :)
No, seriously, I have no idea. I’ve got my guesses, sure, but whatever it is has to tie back to the “Big Picture.” And I mean the biggest picture—like, the Universe. This Universe. See, this Universe? It’s not all there is. It’s not what came first. And I have a strong suspicion it won’t be the last thing to ever be, either. But here’s the thing: this Universe wasn’t made “right.” No good art ever is. I believe—or at least I think I know enough to say—that it was made with stolen tools, by a “false” God. The Demiurge.
Now, Gnostics—they’ve got this whole philosophy about the material world. They think it’s fundamentally flawed, and they blame the Demiurge for that. When most people imagine an all-powerful creator, they picture something benevolent. The Demiurge? Not so much. It’s more like a lesser divine being. Gnostics see it as ignorant, maybe even malevolent. Usually, it’s a little of both. By creating this Universe the way he did, the Demiurge trapped us here. “Trapped,” in a sense, anyway. There’s supposed to be a way out—but nobody really knows what that way is. And even if there is a way out, who’s to say what’s outside is any better than this messy material existence we’re stuck with? Feel me?
Now, if our Universe was made by something that already existed, what came before it? That’s where things get tricky. Whatever existed before is literally outside of what we can perceive. But enough whispers, fragments, and accounts trickle down to give us hints. One word for you: Entropy.
Entropy’s the name of a Universe completely distinct from ours. Allegedly, it was created—and ruled—by a master entity called Chaos. Or Kaos, if that floats your boat. Sound familiar? Yeah, we’re really diving into some Greek ideas now. In Greek mythology, Chaos was said to be the state of the cosmos before everything else. But I think it goes even deeper. Before Chaos, there had to be unity—solidarity—Monad.
But Monad? That doesn’t matter to us. Not one bit. Honestly, I’d argue Entropy doesn’t matter to us either. It’s a whole separate Universe from ours. The problem is, even if I wish Entropy didn’t matter, it seems like some of the Archons from Entropy have found their way into our Universe. And that… well, that’s a story… after one more conversation with Baltz. :)
-8