Therefore, that 1|0 pair is not two different digits, but the number 10! This also proves that to rule out the possibility of 0 being 'a', one must calculate starting from 1, meaning 1 is 'a'.
"So... let's try arranging it."
"18121452148674211112101212287, converting to one possible case could be a|h|a|u|d|e|b|n|h|f|g|d|b|a|k|l|j|a|b|l|b|h|g..."
Mera once again discovered she was making a mistake, or rather, the assumptions and inferences that looked like they were helping her inch closer to the true answer were actually leading her into a maze of possibilities even wider and easier to get lost in than at the beginning, and were directly narrowing her thinking.
In other words, if Mera kept thinking she had solved it correctly, then started trying all the possibilities and variations that could occur until she kneaded out an "appropriate answer," it was highly likely she would end up hitting a dead end.
"It's difficult, isn't it..."
