Puzzletober 2026: Relic

FYTTE THE FIRST in which findings are more noteworthy than expected.

    By digging in the appropriate spot, the explorers find two things. One is a relic of some previous harvest: a rotting core with its seeds still clinging on. The other is a rusty hatchet. Renn picks up the hatchet and inspects it with a sense of curiosity. Felix says, "I recall you consider yourself somewhat of a berserker. This could be much more fun to whirl around you." With a brief sense of impatience, Renn asks, "What's the power?" Felix carefully picks up the core by its stem and throws it in a slow slight upward arc to Renn, who swings the hatchet at it. Not only does he succeed in slicing it, but the core is cut perfectly in half through and including the stem. A slight smile grows on Renn's face as he says, "It's not half bad. I'll take it for a swing." He runs to an edge of the glade to snap off some low-hanging twigs and spends a handful of minutes trying to determine how exactly the hatchet decides to course-correct. Felix is more than happy to watch him practice, as he knows Renn considers working through the implications of a new rule to be one of the greater joys in questing.

Rules: Make each equation true by using the ax to cut numbers perfectly in half. The number in angle brackets next to each line indicates exactly how many times the ax must be used on numbers within that line.

2+3=4 <1>

2+2=4 <3>

5^16-25=0 <5>

1-3=1 <7>

9^1*7=42 <9>