Hello Fubaka, after "stalking" on the forum for a long time it feels weird/ kind of a honour to speak to you.
I got the red key by pressing Control + Shift + C and then spacebar + right click to avoid threats.
I am using Knytt Stories Plus 1.3.4
Thanks for the help, hopefully we can solve this. I wouldn't want to go to the next area before finishing this one but I don't get what it's supposed to happen here.
By the way if the piston puzzle was not open already, if the solution is in the yellow flowers, then the two things would "connect", and so it would make sense. I would have one way in mind one could figure out to use the number. Otherwise I would have no idea on how to solve it.
I cannot be 100% sure if the secret is even related to the piston puzzle obviously.
Maybe I'll start and go through the whole level again and see if the problem is still there. Maybe I just screwed up something. What I'm really worried about is if the level is ok for other people, I don't want other people to arrive there and find the piston puzzle open. If I screwed up something I guess that's ok. (the curiosity remains)
>>>edit: not even OOBs and cheats have worked, no way to get to the avatar screen and him saying intelligent things, my savegame was just too screwed up. So I have gone through the level again (with OOBs because it took a long time to do this legitimately and it was just a test) and the piston puzzle is closed, working. Yay
So indeed I had somehow screwed up something, and the level is OK. Let's not try to figure out what problem it was, our time is more precious.
Now.... how the hell am I supposed to open this laser gate LOL please at least give me a strong hint or am I supposed to just bruteforce this? The flower count doesn't seem to help.
Thank you
Gave a star for the obviously well executed level and explained a bit better what happened.