Challenge #312: Alchemy
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Goku stared hard at the paper, as though the effort of peering deeply into the arrangement of numbers could, by itself, bring enlightenment.
Hakkai loosened his collar and repeated patiently, “When you are subtracting a figure larger than the one above it, you must put a “1” in front, so 2 will become 12, 5 will become 15. Do you understand?”
Goku raised his eyes from the table and said glumly, “Sounds like black magic.”
Sanzo’s voice came from behind the newspaper. “Not magic. Alchemy.”
“Alchemy?” queried Hakkai.
Sanzo lowered the newspaper and grinned. “Alchemy. Transforming base metal into gold.”