Puzzletober 2026: Gangly

 In comparison, the halls of the castle are oddly quiet. Dahlia silently leads the way to the tower. They haven't gotten very far by the time someone else rounds a corner into mutual view. As the gangly man approaches them with a slight smile, Dahlia whispers, "The royal messenger. Listen and do not speak." When he is close enough, he bows and says, "Lady Cantor, his Majesty requests an audience with you immediately." Dahlia says, "I have only just returned. Why the haste? Can this wait a few minutes longer for me to ensure my things are in order?" The messenger tuts and says, "His Majesty thinks your reconnaissance may contain valuable information in regards to the activities of our nemeses. It seems urgent. Allow me to lead you to the meeting." As he begins to walk away from Dahlia, she says, "Wait. May I be permitted to deduce its location first?" He pauses, turns around, and says, "Quickly. You may have five questions." She makes eye contact with Renn while saying, "I would hope to be completely correct."

Rules: Using the hallway system below and the information in this page of the narrative, determine which door leads to the tower. If they met in the tower, then the answer to every question would be yes.

  • "Is the room past the intersection down the nearby corridor and led to by only one door?" "Yes."
  • "Does the door open into the room?" "Next question." "Pardon?" "It's such a boring question. You know that the doors alternate between opening in and out as you hug the wall, so this cuts your options almost in half. Quickly, next question."
  • "When approaching the three hallways from the main corridor, could we enter the room in no more or less than a single turn?" "That's a nice question. The answer to this question is the same as the answer to the previous."
  • "In the same scenario, would we turn more to the left than to the right?" "No."
  • She cracks a smile. "Along the walls, is the room next door to your personal quarters?" "Yes, it is! Now, let us move quickly, for you must know which room it is by now."
Before another word can be spoken, the messenger escorts Dahlia smoothly toward the room. Renn and Felix lose sight of them after a series of sharp turns. From there, the hallway snakes without branching until the aforementioned main corridor leads to the intersection. Once again, there is not a sound in the halls.