Re: The lost key

On 11/04/2025 11:13, Marcel Logen wrote:

Marcel Logen in sci.crypt:
 

Richard Heathfield in sci.crypt:

On 08/04/2025 08:26, Richard Harnden wrote:

On 07/04/2025 23:12, Marcel Logen wrote:

 

2490 is the sum.

>
Okay, so meaningless.

>
Well, it threw me too when it first appeared in this thread, but it's

>
The mention had a reason. It was meant to be a small hint.
But I won't comment on it until after the end of the competition.
>

actually a step on the road to the digital root of the ciphertext:
2+4+9+0=15

 OK. I would still like to give you the hint. Consider the cipher-
text as a whole as a (large!) decimal number.

I've been racking my brains trying to think up more hints, but it can't be done, because this is so easy that even the oblique hints that have already appeared come a little too close to the knuckle.
Instead, then, here are a known plaintext (all one line, with one newline at the end) and its corresponding ciphertext:
To be, or not to be, that is the question: whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them. To die, to sleep, no more; and by a sleep to say we end the heartache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to; 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd.
2652326252143281349453933006480853253496976075937689517715071374221631339045060590781903043237316218809736063590521525356534694747677302748233349613575263404479952939248109104856042144722793896434770182899064867940605648500789193218078814272977690664155103587791535850448451848278403701242509372206195303141911735684067894375035883099697107683347003105013134854689211102631247054936675904429008383237026851371111479352100943515246458509203393597552792527326698708028482100708268058011984936773473341278182674378516344992184739120875124926115344292986766357881197629077780782892945725352570396099205055166640902913841516287932347745077524350786266862853686489513898200707846768034583329051408070040230300951076261128544871089078045404005334381063218479827174614264914499915633443487784563207488049636188777576077044887894598720210878824220189012524950105959430668183991253068830240596
--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
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