Each of the words in the problem begin and end with a letter for an element on the Periodic Table. The sequence is in each step the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd letters of a President's last name. We had numerous correct submissions, but the first one to have a correct answer in was Serge V. Trepakov, Novosibirsk, Russia. All of the letters in the second word are from the first word, and are in the same order. 1. harbinger, ringer 2.
Sharp wits can solve the problem with a minimum of calculation.
I assigned a number from 1 to 6 to each individual, and rolled a die. A more complete explanation, with diagram, can be found in the book. So first you must decipher the code. Elu ctx dllz clj. You let him keep her.