Question about skipping Ashley's section?

[CidGregor]

Kinda late to this game, gotten most of the basic/trick achievements after about three runs, now I've got a question about speedrunning things for higher ranks on further playthroughs:

So, if I know the solution to the clock puzzle in Ashley's section, I would presume I can just enter that into the first clock immediately and go straight for the salazar family crest and move on with the game quickly.....but thinking about it, how would that actually work?

Doing things 'normally' is required to get the ring of keys, access the elevator, and open up the secret side stairwell behind the OTHER clock, all of which requires the lantern to reach the crank staircase to the keys in the first place, which I'd be abandoning if I went straight for the Crest.....so, like, how exactly would I get out if I did that?

I'm curious to know before I actually try it and screw myself over. Does the game open the secret stairwell for me automatically somehow? Or the elevator? Am I expected to bait the plaga knights to smash enough bookcases to reach the key ring without the lantern (and somehow not die while working the crank-staircase)? Or am I mistaken for assuming this is possible at all?

[WhitePhantom]

It's designed for you to be able to skip some of the library on repeat runs. You save time, but miss out on the treasures and rifle.

[CidGregor]

I'm not worried about the treasure or rifle, I'm on a NG+4 right now, I have basically everything maxed, I'm just trying to do at least an A rank professional run to unlock the chicago typewriter and I'm looking for timesavers. But if I'm not gonna screw myself by going right for the crest then yeah I'll give it a try.

[Protoman]

I think you're confusing the elevators. There are two elevators:

First elevator: needs key, stops halfway
Second elevator: after secret passage (clock), goes down to the spiral staircase room

If you use the skip, you can just go straight to the crest room, grab it and go back to deposit it into that room with the crest slot to finish the chapter. No need for secret stairwells or even walking around the library at all.

[CidGregor]

Originally posted by Protoman:

I think you're confusing the elevators. There are two elevators:

First elevator: needs key, stops halfway
Second elevator: after secret passage (clock), goes down to the spiral staircase room

If you use the skip, you can just go straight to the crest room, grab it and go back to deposit it into that room with the crest slot to finish the chapter. No need for secret stairwells or even walking around the library at all.

No no, I'm not talking about the second elevator at all. What I'm saying is, if I skip by entering in the correct clock time on the first clock, go down the fully functional elevator, give up the lantern to get the crest, and then come back up to the library, I am without the lantern, which means I can't use the crank staircase, which means I can't get the keys, which means I can't open the elevator that breaks halfway, which means I can't open the side stairwell, which means I'm trapped in the library at that point, doesn't it? Or does the game change something to let me out at that point?

I know this is something I could figure out just by trying the damn thing, but I keep dying to the knights one-shotting Ashley in the bell-ringing room and I haven't had time to try at length, so I'm just venting my curiosity here.

[Seamus]

I seem to recall the side path you have to crank open to come back down from the elevator that breaks is just... open after you get the crest even if you never went up the one that breaks.

[Protoman]

I tested it here, and when you activate the first clock, the side path will be open when you come back. Even the bookcase that you had to move with the crank from the other side.