Day 11: Laser Grid

Previously

After restoring Jolly’s mobility by retrieving the servo motor from the carousel, you made your way to the control room to disable the Crystal Palace’s power grid. By calculating the corrupted system’s true shutdown time, you now know exactly when the palace’s defenses will fall. With that critical piece of information in hand, you and Jolly are ready to move into position and begin the next phase of your plan to infiltrate the palace and reclaim the Crystal of Joy.

Narrative

As you and Jolly make your way deeper into the palace grounds, the air grows tense. The faint hum of machinery echoes through the halls, and the flickering lights indicate that the power grid is slowly starting to shut down, just as planned. But as you reach the next section, Jolly stops abruptly.

“This is it,” Jolly says, its voice low. “The Laser Security Grid. It’s one of the palace’s last defenses, and it’s nearly impossible to get past. These lasers bounce around the room, reflecting off the walls and mirrors. One wrong move, and the alarms will sound.”

You step into the room, and immediately, a web of colored lasers illuminates the space, bouncing in seemingly endless patterns across the walls, floors, and ceilings. The lasers reflect and ricochet in every direction, creating a complex, ever-shifting barrier. Even the slightest misstep could set off the alarm and trap you both inside.

Jolly hands you three lenses: Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. "These lenses absorb certain colors of light. If we can match the right lens to the right laser, we’ll be able to pass without triggering the alarms. But be careful. These lasers are sensitive — if you reflect the wrong one or let it hit an unintended target, we’ll be done for.”

The challenge now is to use the lenses wisely, absorbing just the right lasers at the right time, without reflecting any light and setting off the alarm.

Objective

Use the Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow lenses to absorb the correct lasers and safely bypass the security grid without triggering the alarms, allowing you to advance further into the palace.

Challenge

Jolly has provided you with three lenses — Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow — each capable of absorbing certain laser colors. Your task is to correctly place the lenses and absorb the right lasers to prevent them from reflecting and triggering the alarm.

The lasers in the room are of the following colors: Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and White.

Notice that:

The Cyan (C) lens absorbs Red light.
The Magenta (M) lens absorbs Green light.
The Yellow (Y) lens absorbs Blue light.
The answer should be a sequence ordered according to the lasers listed above containing the lens that should be used to absorb the respective light separated by commas (,). An example of a possible answer (obviously wrong) could be C,CM,M,Y,CMY,MY,CY.

Hint 1

Start by matching the primary color lasers (Red, Green, and Blue) to their corresponding lenses.

Hint 2

The Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow colors are a mix the other RGB colors. But which ones? After figuring out, apply the same logic by combining more than one lens.

Hint 3

White light is composed by all the other colors, so it should be straightforward.

Answer

Wrong answer!

Outcome

After carefully positioning the lenses and absorbing the correct lasers, the security system hums softly and then powers down. The web of colored light slowly fades, leaving the room clear for you to proceed. Jolly’s sensors flicker as it steps forward, cautiously scanning the area for any remaining traps.

“We did it,” Jolly says, its voice a mix of relief and determination. “The grid’s down, and we’ve passed the last of the security systems.”

As you step beyond the laser-filled chamber, the path ahead leads deeper into the heart of the palace. You’re getting closer to the Crystal of Joy, but you know the malevolent force won’t let you reach it without a fight.