Chapter 71: Interlude—The Thrice-locked Chest

At the Waystone Inn, Kvothe halts the tale and deals cards for a break with Bast and Chronicler. Mayor Lant arrives, orders wine, and asks to use Chronicler privately. Kvothe locks the front door and takes Bast upstairs to give the mayor privacy.

Upstairs, Bast asks for lessons. Kvothe proposes a puzzle: how to open his “thrice-locked chest.” Bast examines the chest’s copper and iron locks, hinge-less lid, strange wood, and great weight. He tries listening and coaxing at the copper lock, then attempts to pick it, only to recoil painfully from the iron plate.

Bast escalates with a prybar but cannot breach the hair-thin seam. He tries to move the chest, confirming its immense weight. Using a fine, leaf-bladed hatchet, he strikes repeatedly, but the Roah-wood top turns every blow with a muted ring.

Thinking laterally, Bast considers fire and acid. Kvothe notes Roah will not burn and common acids fail; even Aqua Regius would be limited and risks damaging contents. Kvothe also hints at additional precautions within the locks. Bast concedes defeat for now.

Mayor Lant calls up that he is finished. As Bast tidies the room, a crumpled page falls; when Bast reaches for it, Kvothe sharply forbids him from touching it. They leave, and Kvothe closes the door, reinforcing the sense of hidden, closely guarded secrets.