Re: The lost key

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

OK. I would still like to give you the hint. Consider the cipher-
text as a whole as a (large!) decimal number.
 (This is what the sum of the digits refers to: 2490.)

Well, that was over a month ago, and we've not heard from anyone else. I can't help being curious, though. I /set/ the puzzle, so I know the answer (see spoiler below, anyone who gave up), but I have no idea why the sum of the digits is a hint towards the solution.
Care to share?
--- read no further if you don't want to be told the method ---
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzzle.....
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzzle....
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzzle...
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzzle..
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzzle.
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzzle
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzzl
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puzz
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number puz
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number pu
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number p
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long number
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long numbe
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long numb
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long num
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long nu
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long n
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great long
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great lon
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great lo
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great l
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous great
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous grea
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous gre
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous gr
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous g
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous
.....To obtain the answer to the enormous
.....To obtain the answer to the enormou
.....To obtain the answer to the enormo
.....To obtain the answer to the enorm
.....To obtain the answer to the enor
.....To obtain the answer to the eno
.....To obtain the answer to the en
.....To obtain the answer to the e
.....To obtain the answer to the
.....To obtain the answer to the
.....To obtain the answer to th
.....To obtain the answer to t
.....To obtain the answer to
.....To obtain the answer to
.....To obtain the answer t
.....To obtain the answer
.....To obtain the answer
.....To obtain the answe
.....To obtain the answ
.....To obtain the ans
.....To obtain the an
.....To obtain the a
.....To obtain the
.....To obtain the
.....To obtain th
.....To obtain t
.....To obtain
.....To obtain
.....To obtai
.....To obta
.....To obt
.....To ob
.....To o
.....To
.....To
.....T
.....
....
...
..
.
The puzzle is a number expressed in decimal notation.
Re-express it in hexadecimal (or base 256 if you prefer), and you have the ASCII values you need to reconstitute the answer.
43 4F 4E 47 52 41 54 55 4C 41 54 49 4F 4E 53 21
20 59 6F 75 20 68 61 76 65 20 73 75 63 63 65 73
73 66 75 6C 6C 79 20 64 65 63 72 79 70 74 65 64
20 74 68 65 20 63 69 70 68 65 72 74 65 78 74 2E
20 59 6F 75 72 20 70 72 69 7A 65 2C 20 61 6C 61
73 2C 20 69 73 20 6F 6E 6C 79 20 74 68 65 20 66
65 65 6C 69 6E 67 20 6F 66 20 73 61 74 69 73 66
61 63 74 69 6F 6E 20 79 6F 75 20 67 65 74 20 66
72 6F 6D 20 73 65 65 69 6E 67 20 74 68 65 20 63
69 70 68 65 72 74 65 78 74 20 65 6D 65 72 67 65
2E 2E 2E 20 62 75 74 20 74 68 61 74 27 73 20 73
6F 6D 65 74 68 69 6E 67 2C 20 72 69 67 68 74 3F
0A 0A 57 65 6C 6C 20 64 6F 6E 65 2E 2E 2E 0A 0A
2E 2E 2E 72 6A 68 20 32 37 2F 33 2F 32 30 32 35
0A
--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within