DD-DTAB02 (Sep 29, 2022)
Puzzle
“One after the other, 15-5, 21-5, 1-9, 4-11, 6-8, 12-11, 27-7, 23-12.”
See: C-ULDH03* | Cipher | 8 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: One word at a time.
Clue 2: Those numbers look familiar?
Clue 3: Those are dates. But they're dates, then month. Like in England. Anyone like that?
Clue 4: Manager No. 5 appeared in Welcome The Dark most prominently. Those dates seem to line up too.
Clue 5: Do remember to go back to those one word sentences. What comes after those in the receipts detailed by the dates?
Answer and Explanation
Answer: Simply The Three, Into Unified Love, Worked Together
Explanation: Firstly, note that this puzzle was tagged with Manager 6 and that the numbers are arranged like dates in a DD/MM format, similar to in England - that is to say, an allusion to Jericho, Manager 5. This is a reference to the archive in which they appear most prominently, Welcome the Dark. Taking the dates (say, 15th of May) in Welcome the Dark - giving the receipt C-CADF02 - there is the word 'Run' in there. The word after 'run' (from 'one after the other') is 'simply'. Repeat this for the rest of the receipts - keeping in mind possible duplicates when two instances of the relevant word shows up - and you get the answer.
Summary of Receipt
Summary
Transcript
[BRANCH] PALM BEACH
[SERVER] MANAGER NO. 6
[DATE] 9/29/22
[INDEX ID] DTAB02
[SECURITY] AND
This… has to stay off the record, yeah? I guess we could cut around the parts about Jean-Marc plotting to upend mortality and all of that… but one problem at a time. One problem at a time. Jules, Rico, and I—we went to Cassadaga, to the Devil’s Chair, to see if he had any ideas about what to do with Eve. And from his perspective, we’ve gotta stop her. If the Devil’s afraid of what she’s plotting… it’s probably serious, huh?
Peace, Love, and Joy
Arcadia, Skald, and Eden.
Devil: Well, well, well. If it ain’t my three favorite pieces of what should have been. And you brought me… non-alcoholic beer?
No. 5: Sorry—only thing we could grab on short notice.
Devil: In Florida?
No. 5: I’m—
No. 4: Jericho shouldn’t be around alcohol.
Devil: Ah. Alright. Well, no skin off my back, except I won’t be drinking that piss water if it’s all the same to you. But hey, you know, it was never necessary to get my attention anyway. So, what brings you three here?
No. 6: Do you… um… are you aware of what’s happening outside of Hell?
Devil: Hm… bits and pieces, really. Lilith usually keeps me up to date on the latest jazz. You three came to ask about that new Plane that just opened up, huh?
No. 5: In a sense, yeah.
Devil: Well—I can’t say I fully grasp the concept myself. My little snail was sleeping on the job, and her dreams sort of leaked out into—
No. 4: What are you talking about?
Devil: That extra bit tacked onto the Universe? According to Lily, a new wing just opened up. This one’s got the Amaymon tied up in it, right? Lily said it was called the Ache-something. Full of ghosts and ghouls, or so I hear.
No. 5: Oh, mate, you’re behind by a good year or so. We’ve already sorted out the Achegloom, the Morbid King, the Horror, and so on. Thrilling story, really—we’ll have to catch you up later. No—Eden’s back. The actual Plane. Along with Eve and all of her strange, malformed creations.
Devil: …Eve? She’s… back?
No. 6: Mm-hm. And she’s looking to open the gates to Hell so you two can—
Devil: She can’t do that.
No. 4: Why not?
Devil: To open the Gates, it’s either her neck or all of our kids’ necks on the line. Neither of those is on the menu.
No. 5: Now, hang on, you’ve broken out of Hell on more than one occasion—
Devil: And am I the one going around killing my kids? No. I can’t do anything from here, anyway. You have to stop her.
No. 4: We’re working on it—
Devil: No, I mean really stop her. Our kids—they’re mortal. They always have been. Sure, they’ve got a little give… but if they’re snuffed out and used as Keys… that’s the end of the line. No coming back.
No. 5: Hang on a tick. The Gates have broken before, but we’ve still got the Princes around.
Devil: Everything resets. Nothing changes.
No. 5: Are you telling me God only resets things—
Devil: To keep my kids alive? He’s not that selfless. But… there’ve been a few times where He… He offered to let me stay, and I wanted to go back to how things were.
No. 6: So… wait… you can never actually escape?
Devil: I wouldn’t say never. Hell’s a tricky number, an old relic God dragged over from before this whole shebang. A place to do away with the undying. The simple way out would mean giving up my children—that’s a no-go. The hard way out… that’s a leap of faith. And I haven’t exactly been a believer lately.
No. 5: Right. Well, we can worry about it later, can’t we? We’ve gotta stop Eve.
Devil: Yes. Yes, you do. So… what happened? How did she return?
[…]
[…]
[…]
Devil: I see. Alright—not all hope is lost, not yet. Still got five Keys where they should be. Assuming Satan isn’t foolish enough to let Eve kill him to set me free, anyhow.
No. 5: I wouldn’t put it past him.
No. 6: Umbra… he mentioned another Key. A “Master” Key. The Key of Creation.
Devil: Eve’s Key. Yep. It’s one of the more complicated ways I could get out—but she doesn’t have it at the moment.
No. 5: Who does?
Devil: Who do you think, Eight?
No. 5: Damn… the Eight? It’s the Key?
Devil: Part of it, yeah. To actually form it into the Key, you’d need to commit the sin of creation.
No. 5: And how would I do that?
Devil: Not saying. I don’t want you going off and doing anything stupid. How did you end up with so much of the Eight, anyway? Seven pieces… last time we chatted, you only had a third of an eighth.
No. 5: Part of Jean’s plans, I suppose. That, and he couldn’t take it with him if he was going to go back to being the Otherman.
Devil: Well, sure, but that was a lie, wasn’t it? Him becoming the Otherman again? He just said that to set up his Last Cafe. Which, by the by, are the ones who brought Eden back.
No. 4: What are you getting at?
Devil: Nothing. Just thinking out loud. It sure seems like Jean-Marc’s pulling strings, though, doesn’t it?
No. 6: He’s the Owner, yeah? Isn’t that what an Owner does?
Devil: Oh, sure, sure. What’s his end goal, anyhow, Skald?
No. 5: Beats me—
Devil: No, don’t give me that. You’ve got seven out of eight. What’s he thinking? What are they telling you he’s thinking?
No. 5: He… wants to bring Lucifer back.
Devil: That’s all? He could do that without going to such great lengths—
No. 5: …He wants to bring Lucifer back for good.
No. 4: Do you mean—
No. 5: No one has to die, ever again. That’s… what he’s been working on.
No. 6: That’s… crazy.
No. 5: Well, yeah, love, it is crazy, isn’t it? But one problem at a time.
Devil: One problem at a time… but don’t let that problem get away from you, either. There’s a reason Lucifer was born mortal.
No. 5: Right. Thanks for the guidance, Abraxas. Sorry about the beer—
Devil: Don’t be. Never a requirement for you three, anyhow.