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By Dan Katz and Roger Barkan
Answer: PEGMAN

Each answer consists of a two-word phrase with a six-letter first word and a shorter second word. Each letter from the second words is taken from the letters that spell either “BLACK” or “WHITE.” That, coupled with the six-letter first words (and the word “mastermind” in the story text), suggests a game of Mastermind to determine a six-letter answer, with the second word in each puzzle answer representing the responses to the guess. (A black peg represents a correct letter in the answer appearing in the correct position; a white peg represents a correct letter in the wrong position.)

  • ANGKOR: WAT = 1 black, 2 white
  • KHAGAN: BEK = 2 black, 1 white
  • LEAVES: BE = 1 black, 1 white
  • MORGAN: HILL = 2 black, 2 white
  • PACKED: ICE = 1 black, 2 white
  • PAMPAS: CAT = 2 black, 1 white
  • PAVING: TILE = 1 black, 3 white
  • PIGEON: LAKE = 3 black, 1 white
  • RAPIER: WIT = 0 black, 3 white
  • TAMPER: WITH = 0 black, 4 white

The only six-letter string satisfying all of these clues is PEGMAN, the stick-figure mascot for Google Maps, who will be happy to help our heroes find their way through the city.