The Tribune - Windows

Caesar’s treasure
Aditya Rishi

HOW fate loves a jest! Two heavily armed policemen kick their way through the smoking remains of the door. Pitch black welders’ goggles protect their eyes from the glare as they charge into the room.

"Let’s see your warrant," says Captain Nemo. Policeman: "Oh, we’re not arresting you. The law books haven’t quite caught up with your technology. Breaking into the computer matrix by cerebral projection... that’s a little tough to prosecute, don’t you think?"

Nemo: "There is one crown I bear away with me: that of a rebel. I have been found guilty of high treason because I regard the matrix as the enemy of the people. I don’t wish to wound your pride, but tonight when you enter before your king, the matrix, you shall do so without me." Thus, announcing his escape, Captain Nemo vanishes into the fourth dimension as walls melt around the policemen.

Ace of Base

In base 2: 10101 = 111 x 11

In base 3: 10101 = 111 x 21

In base 4: 10101 = 111 x 31

In base 5: 10101 = 111 x 41

In base 6: 10101 = 111 x 51

In base 7: 10101 = 111 x 61

In base 8: 10101 = 111 x 71

In base 9: 10101 = 111 x 81

In base 10: 10101 = 111 x 91.

Written in base 10, the factors form a number series 7, 13, 21, 31, 43, 57, 73, ...

The difference between the two factors is always twice the base number:

7-3=4=2x2; 13-7=6=2x3; 21-13=8=2x4...

Branches tremble and leaves approach the earth as if with a little fear of mingling with the common dust. The Wazir has just stepped on the ground from where Nemo vanished. Wazir: "The matrix must have him before tonight or Nemo will surely decipher its code." Policemen: "Matrix is invincible; no one can break its code. Why does Nemo want it?" Wazir: "Because it is the cipher or secret message that Julius Caesar sent to his General, Mark Anthony, in Egypt before arriving in Rome. It contained directions on where to find the riches of Rome that lay hidden in Alexandria. Caesar had transferred a lot of wealth to Egypt as he planned to come back and rule from there.

Caesar never returned; he was assassinated soon after entering Rome and Anthony had to return home to avenge his death. Later when he too was killed, Octavius recovered the cipher from his chamber, with +19 and -8 written at the back of it. However, he was unable to break the code; that’s the way Caesar wrote. Countless men have tried since then to solve it, but failed."

Policeman: "What was the cipher message?"

Wazir:"BPMOWTLQAQVBPMKMTT." The other policeman: "Wait! We forget, Nemo hacks into the matrix by the power of his mind, and we too are parts of the matrix. If we have spoken the code, it means that so has Nemo." Captain Nemo has gone 20,000 leagues under the sea, so the treasure is still up for grabs. Decode what the cipher says and be as rich as Rome. (Write at The Tribune or adityarishi99@yahoo.co.in)