Off-Day Grand Slam Puzzle #7: Solution

In there somewhere is the Bear...can you see him?

The Shroud of Turin: Negative on right has been contrast enhanced.

The answer to yesterday's puzzle is Trondheim.

In Hint #9, the puzzle was broken down into 3 steps:

1. Figure out what the paths are. Jasmine literally provides clues to figure this out. The paths are the conversation bubbles. Jasmine clues us into this with various clues which must be taken very literally:
   • "We must watch what we say"
   • "The possible paths are being created as we speak"
   • "Listen, and down the right paths we will be led" - although also a clue towards the conversation bubbles, I de-emphasized this line as I was afraid it would imply that the music was relevant.
2. Pick the correct paths (Jasmine tells you where this info comes from). Jasmine tells the Cub that his father (the Bear) will tell him which are the correct paths. At the very end of the video, the Bear appears in the sky and speaks the words "I Will Wait" (which, incidentally, is a loose translation of the song's title, performed by, as Mr F noted, one of the PCS Series' favorite Belgian singers, Axelle Red). So the 9 letters in the Bear's words tell the Cub which of the paths - i.e., conversation bubbles - are the correct ones. They are the 9 bubbles that begin with the letters I, W, I, L, L, W, A, I and T.
   
3. Figure out what to with the correct paths (again, listen to Jasmine). Jasmine says "After we've picked the correct paths, we must follow them to the end." Thus, the last letter in the 9 relevant bubbles must be determined, as follows:
   • "Is there an end to our quest?"
   • "We need to have faith."
   • "I sometimes wonder if we are on the right track...should I?"
   • "Listen, and down the right paths we will be led."
   • "Last time I saw you was over a year ago. What if our journey takes another year? Or two? Or ten?"
   • "We must watch what we say to one another."
   • "After we've picked the correct paths, we must follow them to the end, and the answer will be there."
   • "I don't know where in Norway to go. Bergen? Trondheim? Stavanger? Oslo?"
   • "The possible paths - correct and incorrect - are being created as we speak. We just need to properly pick them."
   So, if the paths are "followed to the end", the resulting letters are T, H, I, D, N, R, E, O, and M. Rearranged, they spell "Trondheim."

It was an especially difficult puzzle...so extra congratulations to Mr C, Jason, and UBragg!

So that wraps up the first half of PCS Season III. Ranking and prizes to be announced soon, and next puzzle 7am, Monday, July 12!