Black Spire Coded Notebook
The book is heavily damaged by fire, rats, and other ravages of time.
From Min Feng, based on cryptography:
Looking at it for a little while, you find seven different "things" that seem to frequently recur at the beginnings of lines. Not all the beginnings of lines have a recurring "thing" like this, but about 2/3 of them do. Five of them are more early-ish in the notebook, two of them are more late-ish. You expect they are names, and the lines are like notes or items that pertain to each person. One of the names always has a small symbol after it.
(It's all written in the same hand, but you think it was not all written at the same time; the ink is not always the same.)
Follow-up from Min Feng, based on KS: Jade Taiga:
The symbol looks a little bit like a "5", and you wonder if that has anything to do with one of the old Taiga legends about the King of Five Grains, supposedly one of the first Taiga rulers, who taught people how to farm.
Jin says (via cryptomancy) that the first page is:
Fat Girl Cook looking for a match for her daughter. Speck Susceptible to flattery. No money problems. Fat Girl Majordomo is squeaky clean Meetings to be moved to the Best Square Room Nosey Plants in three other houses Five-fingers Lives high. Thinks he knows about art. Speck Second wife's connections Nosey Chi San Goh Five-fingers Party on the Day of the Tiger Speck Surprise for the winter? 4 tael Fat Girl Thick letters from the Forest Pokey Follows the majority Weasel * possible bribe if ascends Pokey poor stomach, shellfish 1 minor favor ^^ Pokey ? illicit relation ? Five-fingers Many small debts Go-zen Chen, debt consolidation opportunities Nosey Speck butler turnable
The second page is:
Speck Too many swords Pokey Pao Xiao-mei Fat Girl Favor from Hsung Nosey Spotted Nibs Cut him loose, useless Pokey Possibly vulnerable to flat threat Five-fingers Secret visitor in Bear Fat Girl Scared of rats Nosey Frame? 2 tael Pokey Copied key Nosey Overreaching on plants Five-fingers Debt acquired Speck Letter about the butler Five-fingers Jade collection Fat Girl Cook arrangement Speck Smiler & Taps