Tags: sebald
Rating:
# 11
## Description
> I wrote a quick script, would you like to read it? - Delphine
>
> > (doorbell rings)
> >
> > delphine: Jess, I heard you've been stressed, you should know I'm always ready to help!
> >
> > Jess: Did you make something? I'm hungry...
> >
> > Delphine: Of course! Fresh from the bakery, I wanted to give you something, after all, you do so much to help me all the time!
> >
> > Jess: Aww, thank you, Delphine! Wow, this bread smells good. How is the bakery?
> >
> > Delphine: Lots of customers and positive reviews, all thanks to the mention in rtcp!
> >
> > Jess: I am really glad it's going well! During the weekend, I will go see you guys. You know how much I really love your amazing black forest cakes.
> >
> > Delphine: Well, you know that you can get a free slice anytime you want.
> >
> > (doorbell rings again)
> >
> > Jess: Oh, that must be Vihan, we're discussing some important details for rtcp.
> >
> > Delphine: sounds good, I need to get back to the bakery!
> >
> > Jess: Thank you for the bread! <3
>
> Dev: Delphine
>
> edit: This has been a source of confusion, so: the code in the first hint isn't exactly the method to solve, but is meant to give you a starting point to try and decode the script. Sorry for any confusion.
>
> Hint! I was eleven when I finished A Series of Unfortunate Events.
>
> Hint! Flag is in format: rtcp{.*}
>
> add _ (underscores) in place of spaces.
>
> Hint! Character names count too
## Solution
By Googling `A Series of Unfortunate Events cipher`, we discover [Sebald Code](https://snicket.fandom.com/wiki/Sebald_Code).
The description:
> The beginning of a coded passage is signaled by the ringing, or mention of the ringing, of a bell. The first word to come after this signal is the first word of the coded message. Every eleventh word after this first word is another part of the coded message, making it so that ten uncoded words fall between every coded word. This pattern continues until the first bell stops ringing, a second bell rings, or a bell's ringing is again mentioned.
This seems to correspond to the given text, with bells ringing. However, it leads to nothing relevant, as the edit mentions, it is not straightforward Sebald code.
I scripted Sebald code, trying different values for the number of uncoded words. After too much time looking for a sentence that make sense, I finally found that we needed an offset.
```python
with open("11.txt", "r") as f:
s = f.read()
split = s.replace("\n", " ").split(" ")
for j in range(11):
for i in range(0, len(split)-j, 11):
print(split[i+j], end=" ")
print()
```
The program outputs `I'm hungry... give me bread and I will love you`
Flag: `rtcp{I'm_hungry_give_me_bread_and_I_will_love_you}`
