### 338

‘And finally, for my last puzzle, I offer this beautiful treasure,’ he says, as he draws a small silver box inlaid with pearls from the pocket of his robes. ‘This priceless artefact was stolen from the treasure hoard of Valborg the Enchanter,’ he exclaims.

On hearing this wondrous revelation the tap-room comes alive with excited chatter. You are inclined to disbelieve the tale of the box’s origin but, nevertheless, it is a beautiful object and is undoubtedly worth at least 100 Lune, perhaps more.

Silence descends on the hold as all await the Count’s final puzzle. ‘When I was last in the market of Garthen,’ the Count begins, ‘I asked an egg trader how many eggs he had sold that day. He replied: “My first customer said that he would buy half my eggs and half an egg more. My second and third customers said exactly the same thing. When I had filled all three orders I was completely sold out of eggs and yet I hadn’t broken a single egg all day.” How many eggs had the egg trader sold in all?’

If you can answer the egg riddle, turn to the entry number that is the same number as the answer.12

If you cannot answer the riddle, turn to 133.

#### Footnotes

[12] If you decide to make a guess, the section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.