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Part 1, containing more instructions

Part 2

The latest thrilling instalment! Warning: it's pretty much impossible to construct a square of this size without using some obscure words that you might have to look up.

“Where is the formula?” the man they called Gilgamesh demanded, as I struggled vainly against my bonds. “I don't want to hurt you. I am not a cruel man.”

“Tell that to the American civilians who died in the bio-attacks along the Eastern ________!” I shouted defiantly.

“Oh, and you blame me for that? I'm almost flattered. But what would you know about it? I thought you were a humble ________, not some kind of spy.”

I wanted to tell the truth, but if he knew for sure that I really was a businessman, maybe he'd just kill me. “And I thought you were an investor, not an Islamist terrorist!”

“Me? I abandoned my faith long ago, and was cast out as an ________. It is money that makes the world go around. The Greeks and the Turks, they say their religions make them different, but they are all the same. I learned that as a smuggler, plying my trade through the Dardanelles and the Strait of ________.”

“You? Working for a living?”

“Do you think I got this rich by lounging around and eating stuffed ________ like a decadent towel-clad Frenchman? I worked hard for my money, and I will use it as I please.”

“What are you seeking?”

“Peace.”

I laughed sardonically.

“Oh no,” he clarified. “I don't mean an end to violence. I mean inner peace. ________. When I am a billionaire, then I can take care of the people I want to protect. Only then can I rest easy.”

“I must say, you have an impressive vocabulary,” I said, trying to build some rapport.

“Oh, I am a man of many talents. I can master whatever I set my mind to, whether it be tuning and ________ an outboard motor for optimum performance, tasting wine, or riding a horse. Would you believe I once thought to compete in a ________ event at the World Equestrian Games?”

I tried to imagine it, but I could not.

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    $\begingroup$ How much time did you spend in the word square. 8-by-8 isn't trivial... $\endgroup$
    – CG.
    Commented Mar 2, 2020 at 16:55
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    $\begingroup$ I wrote some C++ code to generate word squares, found three word lists on the internet, and merged them in the hope of creating new combinations. The program found (over a few hours) seven eight-by-eight squares, including this one, and another that was identical but with a 't' replacing the first letter of the first word. It found no nine-by-nine squares, unfortunately. $\endgroup$
    – user3153372
    Commented Mar 2, 2020 at 17:56

1 Answer 1

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I believe this is the answer :

enter image description here

Explanations:

1. Easter Seaboard
2. Humble Exporter fits the bill
3. Apostate - a person who forsakes his religion
4. Bosporos - The strait between Greece and Turkey
5. The birds Ortolans are eaten in the series Billion
6. Ataraxia is Greek for "undisturbed" or "untroubled"
7. Tuning and retuning
8. Dressage is one of the official equestrian events

Process:

The strait of Bosporus was the simplest to find. Then, there are only a few equestrian events, and only Dressage matched. Then followed Apostate which was fairly simple with the other two in place. Ataraxia was found using a synonym list. Ortolans required an online crossword helper, since I've never heard of the word and couldn't think of anything that matched. The rest was not that hard, since almost all letters were filled in. Exporter was the last word I found, since it could also have been Importer.

It all seems simple in hindsight, but it took me quite some time. Overall a very nice puzzle.

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  • $\begingroup$ One letter wrong... $\endgroup$
    – user3153372
    Commented Mar 2, 2020 at 13:57
  • $\begingroup$ Fixed the typo :) Nice puzzle! $\endgroup$
    – CG.
    Commented Mar 2, 2020 at 14:03
  • $\begingroup$ I have a feeling there could be an alternate answer for this, is that so, @user3153372 ? $\endgroup$
    – Ébe Isaac
    Commented Mar 2, 2020 at 14:28
  • $\begingroup$ @ÉbeIsaac It wouldn't surprise me if the pre-corrected version (the 'u' was given as an 'o') is a valid alternative spelling... $\endgroup$
    – user3153372
    Commented Mar 2, 2020 at 15:34

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