Quick answer: Off the plank walkway past the gate, a candle-lit passage leads to a puppet base with a Swordshield Puppet, three books, Polished Broadplate Metal, Remnant Dust and a Blackstone Shard. The mine passage reaches a lift and the Hidden Passage to Pangzhen bell.
| Item | Where | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
 Polished Broadplate Metal | Doll room, by the rope winch | Two-Handed weapon upgrades, Lv. 10-20 |
| Thread-Binding Sect “[PUPPET BASE LEDGER] EXPANSION” | Office above the doll room | Lore, plus Remnant Dust |
| The Herald “SECRET REPORT ON DUSK” | Office bench | Lore, plus Remnant Dust |
| The Herald Unfinished “SCRIPTURE OF THE LADY” | Office platform | Lore, plus Remnant Dust |
| Remnant Dust | Doll room, among hanging puppets | “Remnant Dust + 2,048” |
 Blackstone Shard | Altar at the far end of the hall | One of four toward +10% Attack and Guard Break |
One of the three books adds “Remnant Dust + 1,048” when you pick it up.
What you need before entering the Smuggler’s Tunnel
The Smuggler’s Tunnel sits in the Village of Lu during Chapter 1, behind a masked red gate. You open it with Puppet No. 44’s Eye, which drops from the Mu Xiaokui fight. Once the gate is open, the HEARTLESS REMNANTS objective switches to “Enter Pangzhen”. Take the lift to reach the Lakeside bell, the nearest one behind you.
Route to the puppet base
The puppet base ends at this side branch. To continue toward Pangzhen, go back to the plank fence and take the mine passage.
Swordshield Puppet fight in the base hall
The hall is guarded by an elite, the Swordshield Puppet (7,973 HP), armed with a sword and round red shield. It keeps behind its shield for long stretches, then counters immediately after blocking one of your attacks. Strikes against the shield produce sparks and do very little damage, so attacking while its guard is raised will mostly draw a counter.
Its two-hit sword slashes hurt. Against Soul’s 1,402 max HP, each hit lands for roughly these amounts:
| Difficulty | Damage per hit |
|---|---|
| PATHBREAKER | About 101 to 303 HP |
| WAYFARER | About 88 to 212 HP |
It’s a slow fight. On PATHBREAKER, about a minute and a half of steady pressure takes it from 7,973 down to roughly 3,250 HP. Stay in the open part of the hall, clear of the racks, and only heal when it backs off.
Puppet base item locations
Polished Broadplate Metal
In the doll room, a glint sits by the rope winch under the raised office.
Press E to pick up POLISHED BROADPLATE METAL, listed under Weapon Upgrade Materials with the description “Required to upgrade Two-Handed weapons from Lv. 10-20.”
Remnant Dust in the doll room
Among the red threads and dangling puppets in the doll room, another glint is tucked away. Press E there to receive “Remnant Dust + 2,048”. More spots are in the Remnant Dust guide.
The three books in the office
Three books are in the office above the doll room. Each appears as a glint; collect each one with E to gain Remnant Dust.
“[PUPPET BASE LEDGER] EXPANSION” (Thread-Binding Sect), dated the Sixteenth Day of the Winter Month, Xiaoxue. It says every villager of Lu has been made into a puppet, the Soul Displacement Art is nearly perfected, and the Herald wants a new site because the base is overcrowded.
“SECRET REPORT ON DUSK” (The Herald), on the bench. Written to the Master Herald, it claims the Village of Lu is sealed and that Dusk will be caught and the missing item recovered. A strange seal stands in for a signature.
Unfinished “SCRIPTURE OF THE LADY” (The Herald), on the platform. A scripture meant to calm villagers’ fear of Soul Displacement and the puppets, including a verse headed “SACRED PROCLAMATION OF THE MERCIFUL LADY OF THE BLOSSOM VEIL”.
Blackstone Shard on the altar
At the far end of the hall beside the doll room, check the top of the altar covered in red cloth for a sparking purple ring. Aim the camera at the glow to make the E prompt show.
Press E to collect the BLACKSTONE SHARD, a Key Progression Material. Its card reads “Gather four, and their natural patterns will align to form a whole.” and “Collect 4 fragments to permanently increase Attack and Guard Break by 10%.”
If this is your fourth Blackstone Shard, the set combines on the spot and a BLACKSTONE card appears: “Permanently increases Attack and Guard Break by 10%.” That card is your confirmation the bonus is applied.
Mine passage and the big winch lift
Don’t take the locked cage door: its E prompt has a red key icon, indicating that it requires a key and does not lead onward.
The big winch lift
Deep in the tunnel, a large lift stands beside heavy winch machinery. Since the machinery prevents you from walking directly onto the platform, circle around and board from the opposite side. With the lift lowered, the nearby stone switch post has no prompt.
Once you step onto the platform, it activates without input and reaches a level with a stone floor and white railings in about six seconds. Get off when it stops.
Open the door at the top with E.
Beyond the door, follow the plank path to the ladder on the landing. To climb between the landing and the lower scaffold floor, hold Space and W together.
Hidden Passage to Pangzhen bell
The next bell in the tunnel is HIDDEN PASSAGE TO PANGZHEN: a wooden cross hung with red cloth, skull candles at its base, on a plank deck against the rock lined with braziers. Press E to ring it. Your HP and healing gourds refill, and the bell is added to the Village of Lu map.
Its menu, headed “Hidden Passage to Pangzhen”, offers Traverse, Upgrade Equipment, Store, Train Abilities, Save and Leave. Rest here and it becomes your respawn point for the push toward Pangzhen. The bells guide covers the other bells.
