“Festering Secret” triggers on its own at the Valley’s Mandate Outpost, when you approach the chained courtyard in front of Forge’s forge. Break the chains with the Dread Axe, clear the courtyard, pick up the swordsman captain’s Orden escrita, deliver it to his lieutenant next to the Long Pillar Overlook bell and go back to the captain. It gives a Sha-Chi Amber Fragment and Gu Lingran’s letter, which is file 6 of “Four Fierce Axes”. It is lost if you defeat Bai Chilian first.
Where does Festering Secret start?
- Region: Weeping Creek Valley, chapter Against the Flow.
- Nearest bell: Mandate Outpost.
- How it triggers: automatically, when you approach the guards of the courtyard locked with chains, right after meeting Forge.
- Requirement: the Dread Axe to break the chains.
Step by step
- Get the Dread AxeDefeat Peng Meng, the Axemaster, in the upper part of the Outpost.
- Break the courtyard chainsInside, a masked man waits for you, a Shadow Warden variant. A Mandate soldier fights at your side.
- Clear the crossroadsIn the house in front there is another enemy and some Remnant Dust. Up the stairs on the left, another enemy drops a Sha-Chi Amber Fragment.
- Pick up the Orden escritaTalk to the swordsman captain, in the southeast of the Outpost, next to the entrance.
- Deliver the order to the lieutenantAfter defeating The Hunt, KeenGamer says to take the base camp gate key from the tower roof and open the gate near the Creek Valley Plains Entrance bell. The lieutenant, in blue, is next to the Long Pillar Overlook bell, in the northeast of the Valley. He gives you Gu Lingran’s letter.
- Go back to the swordsman captainAt the Mandate Outpost. Show him the proof to close the tale.
Rewards
| Reward | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Sha-Chi Amber Fragment | Collectible (Fextralife lists it as the tale’s reward) |
| Gu Lingran’s letter | File 6 of “Four Fierce Axes“ |
Close it before defeating Bai Chilian. If it fails, you also lose file 6 and cannot complete “Four Fierce Axes”. See points of no return.
Why is it not progressing?
- I cannot reach the lieutenant: the Long Pillar Overlook area opens in Steel and Steam, after The Hunt, with the base camp gate key.
- The courtyard is still locked: it only opens with Peng Meng’s Dread Axe.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Festering Secret lieutenant?
Next to the Long Pillar Overlook bell, in the northeast of Weeping Creek Valley.
What reward does Festering Secret give?
A Sha-Chi Amber Fragment and Gu Lingran’s letter, which you need for “Four Fierce Axes”.
When does Festering Secret fail?
If you defeat Bai Chilian, the final boss of the Crimson Forest, without having closed it.
