Hey I'm also stuck here, but I feel like I'm stuck at the same place where your hints end (or maybe I misunderstood them). ROT13 to avoid spoilers:
V pna trg hc gb gur ybjre yrsg jnyy juvyr bayl gevttrevat xrl bapr, ohg gura V nz fghpx gurer.
V qba'g xabj ubj gb npprff gur frpgvba jvgu gur znal "+".