Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

One week after making his mysterious discovery, Clay invites everyone—including Deckle—to attend a presentation at Pygmalion. Deckle brings some of the other New York members of the fellowship with him. As well as his roommates and Neel, Clay has invited Kat and, even though they are no longer dating, she attends. Most importantly, both Penumbra and Corvina are in attendance. Clay’s presentation begins with biographical information about Griffo Gerritszoon, information he learned by decoding Manutius’s book. He subsequently announces that the book does not reveal the secret to immortality. This dramatic revelation prompts Corvina to leave but Penumbra urges Clay to continue. Clay describes the printing industry as the internet of its time. There were lots of problems that needed creative solutions and Manutius’s book is, ultimately, a potentially damaging memoir of how he managed to succeed in that business. Thus the book was encrypted so that it wouldn’t destroy its author’s reputation. But, Clay reveals, “Gerritszoon didn’t get the key. Gerritszoon is the key” (274). Examining the Gerritszoon punches through Mat’s magnifying glass, Clay had noticed a series of tiny notches on each of them and the number of notches corresponds to a letter; the key to Manutius’s code was hidden in the Gerritszoon font.