After yesterday's cipher reveal and Justin's ensuing confirmation this morning, there seems to be a growing sentiment at the moment that the clock times from the series are now “out of play." I will take the opposite stance of this position here — and firmly so.
I have high confidence that both 4:03 and 4:19 are not only still in play, but central to the solve. The poem itself gives us the framework “flowing through each measured rhyme.” When you look at the poem through that lens of timing, or meter - specifically 4/4 time - and map it back to the structure of the poem, you will notice that both lines 3 and 19 end in em dashes. This aligns rather cleanly that both 4:03 and 4:19 remain central to decoding the poem, in my opinion.
More importantly, these times are meant to serve a purpose while BOTG, I believe. In my solve, they function as timing elements of where to be and how far to travel - and give direct clues as to how we are to interpret both “shadowed sight” as well as seeking what we "already know." Both point directly back to the central question: what lives in time? And if you strip out the clock, you strip out one of the only mechanisms we have to physically measure and reproduce that answer in the field.
There’s also another layer here that I don’t think is getting enough attention. The times 6:06 and 1:33 shouldn't be written off either — they combine cleanly to become 7:39 (see, The Conquistador Conquest). To me, it's too much a coincidence; it seems more like synthesis.
Now - for another reveal - something I've been sitting on since last summer and, whether it is prudent or not, I am deciding to at last share with the community in a spirit of good will.
There are ADDITIONAL clock times which are in the Gold & Greed series - but NOT on the clock that is directly behind Justin. In the cabin scene with the Hursts, there’s a clock with three raccoons on it - obviously a nod to The Bandit Banquet chapter - and it shows two separate times: 1:17 and 3:11. For those of us who have annotated number sets throughout the chapters, a pattern should have jumped out immediately which mirrors the number set embedded in that chapter: 1, 17, 1, 1, 3, 1.
Justin has stated previously that “two elements” are at play. If you look at the 3rd row of the Periodic Table, you will find elements 11 and 17 — sodium and chloride. In short, SALT. Now, connect that back to the first letters of the early chapters — Dedication, Epilogue, Mom’s House, Dad’s House — you get the same confirmation again: SALT. *What is Aft (behind) the salt ie Aft Assault? At a certain point, repetition stops being coincidence.
How you interpret that is up to you. As for me, I’m beyond confident in my complete solve and working out final steps as we speak. To everyone still pushing forward, don’t get shaken by shifting consensus and don’t abandon pieces that continue to produce signal. Progress is happening quickly right now, faster than I’ve seen at any point in this hunt. Finish well. The end draws nigh.
~ Parzival