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The innkeeper is about to pose a riddle to his customers. He will double any money that is wagered by those who solve it. Your answer must be written on one of two paper slips and placed in the parchment envelope along with your wager. On the face of the envelope you must inscribe a symbol. On the second slip of paper you must inscribe the same symbol that you made on the face of the envelope. This second slip must be kept safely. If your answer is correct you will have to show this slip. If the symbol does not match any of the winning envelopes then you cannot lay claim to your winnings.
If you decide not to make a wager, you now leave the inn and continue on your way across the storm-swept quayside to Chunang Street which heads off in a northerly direction (turn to 59).
If you wish to stay and place a bet on being able to solve the riddle, deduct from your Belt Pouch the number of Gold Crowns you wish to wager. Make a note of this deduction in the margin of your Action Chart. If you deduce the answer correctly you may add double this number of Gold Crowns to the money in your Belt Pouch. If you do not answer correctly, you will lose the Gold Crowns you wager.
The innkeeper places a tall hourglass on the taproom counter. A hush descends; he is about to begin.
‘When he was a young boy, our beloved Khea-khan was gifted a bag of apples on the morning of his seventh birthday. He ate a third of them. The next day he ate half of the remaining apples. On the following day he ate one more, and another on the day after that. Then he ate half of the remaining apples on the next day, which was the fifth day after his birthday. On the morning of the sixth day he looked in the bag and was very sad to see that there was only one apple left. So tell me please, how many apples did the bag contain when it was first given to the Khea-khan on the morning of his birthday?’
The moment the innkeeper finishes his conundrum, he turns the hourglass over and the sand begins to trickle from the top half to the bottom. You have two minutes in which to solve this riddle.
When you are sure you know the answer, turn to the section that is the same number as your answer. You will be informed by the text if your answer is correct.9
If you cannot work out the answer, or if your answer proves to be incorrect, turn to 132.
Footnotes
[9] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.