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Negotiations Are Going South

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Solves: 162

This puzzle is the supermeta finale. It uses answers from any of the other puzzles in the hunt.

Spoiler warning: The following note was shown to teams who solved the secret metapuzzle, Side Quest , and includes its answer.

That's it! If we give A SIDE OF FISH to each of the four penguin leaders, perhaps that would persuade them that we want to console them, not con them. Maybe this additional negotiation tactic will shed some light on the unexplained penguin activities.

Story (Does not contain puzzle content)

It's time for the final negotiations! You've earned enough trust from the four penguin leaders for them to agree to negotiate. While waiting for them to arrive, you furrow your brow and think deeply about everything you’ve learned about the penguins. What might convince them to relinquish the research station?

The Card Shark, the Dancer, the Fortune Teller, and the Tycoon finally arrive together. To your surprise, they one-by-one drop beakfuls of postcards on the table before you. As you start sorting through the postcards, the clock is ticking—can you figure out what they want to salvage this chaotic holiday season?

Spoiler warning: The following story content is revealed after solving this puzzle and includes the answer to the puzzle.

🎊 Congratulations on solving the finale puzzle! View the ending.

Spoiler warning: The following story content is revealed after finding the secret answer to this puzzle and includes the secret answer.

⭐ Congratulations on finding the secret answer! View the secret ending.

Hints

Keywords Hint
getting started (postcard blue section)
The main blue section of each postcard is a type of puzzle called a rebus. They each solve to a word or phrase.
getting started (postcard orange section)
The "Greetings from..." location on each postcard needs a short word or phrase inserted into the blank to determine where the postcard came from. Where can you find 24 things to insert?
second step
Each rebus solution can be associated with one of the meta answers.
extraction
Each meta answer provides a method to extract from the associated postcard rebus solutions.
extraction (ordering)
The postcards can be ordered in a way hinted by the title of the puzzle and the graphic featuring the globe.

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