1588  How do you plan on Doing this?

Lex spent a moment thinking about the possibility of elevating his intent to the ninth level and beyond, but then shook his head. There was no point getting ahead of himself. Everything needed to be taken step by step.

"So basically what you're saying is that everyone should at least bring their intent to the fourth level to maximize on this, more or less, given a power boost from intent. Well, since it only takes some time and effort, I see no reason why we can't incorporate a small training routine into every immortal's schedule. Sooner or later, they're bound to get there."

"Yes, well, of course the time to upgrade intent will be different for everyone, and if they spend more time focusing on it then the time will be exponentially quicker than a small regular training routine. But, I suppose you're right. An immortal, training regularly, however little, will eventually reach the fourth level, whether it's in a year, a century or a millennium."

"Any specific advice on how to go about it?" Lex asked.

"I'll compile a detailed list for every one one of your workers the next time we stop to take a rest. For now, I think I've prolonged our stay enough. We should get going."

Lex looked at Kaemon, and then back at the battlefield in front of him. They had spent a number of weeks here already, but despite the long duration of time spent here, Lex didn't mind.

Previously, whether it was in the Artica realm or in the Seraphim Resort, he always felt a rush to return to the Inn because he had work to do. Oddly enough, now that he was here, and had absolutely no idea when he'd be coming back, he felt less stressed.

A part of it may be because Lex had been anxious about sealing the Inn to avoid more problems cropping up, but now that actual problems had arisen, he was too busy dealing with them to think about them.

It could also be because he knew that for all the risks it posed, Abaddon also provided him with immense potential for growth in his personal strength.

Over the past few weeks, he'd seen it. This place was filled with monsters far surpassing his level. While countless wraiths attacked them, there were just as many Heaven Immortal or Celestial Immortal wraiths that just ignored them and passed by.

This was due to the unique quality of Abaddon where each thing only wanted to attack souls on the same power level as them. Of course, this was probably only true if no one provoked a stronger power. For example, Lex was certain that if he ended up grabbing the Anklet of Narn, the creature that had been chasing the anklet would not just ignore Lex.

It also helped that everything was going well within the Inn. Now that Jotun's fight was over, the event was about to come to a close. The only reason that the specific event relating to Jotun's fight wasn't over already was because the Henali had to do an announcement about the end of the fight between the two forces.

Now that the sun had risen and a week had passed, it was time for them to move on according to the schedule Kaemon had given. Yet the Magma Lion had been delaying it for a couple of days already.

"Are you sure?" Lex asked. He could guess what was going through the lion's mind. After seven years of constant battle, he finally got some rest, and was in fact able to enjoy himself while he rested. He ate and drank, and spent time with his army without the constant threat of death hanging over them.

Who would want to return to the battlefield after that? But the reality was that they had a job to do.

"Yes, we should leave now," Kaemon said reluctantly.

"Alright then, you can pass the order to your men to form up, and I'll pass the order to my workers to pack up the castle. Before we leave, however, I'd like to talk to you about a couple of things. Firstly, how exactly you're planning on getting off this island, and how exactly you're planning on finding the chalice."

"Crossing the liquid should not be too troublesome, unless it's as corrosive as the black river. Teleportation is out of the question, and so is swimming. I cannot say for sure what our plan will be unless we test the liquid itself. This isn't the first time we've had to cross a lake or a river, so we're more than familiar with the process. In general, we rely on building ships from nearby materials and equipping it with strong formations that'll allow them to get us past whatever obstacle we're facing.

"The issue with the chalice, however, is much greater. By now, we have no means left except to continuously search the lands and hope to find clues, or to stumble upon it."

"Kaemon, you realize that if we don't develop a better strategy, we could end up staying here for… I won't even say thousands of years. We could end up staying here forever!"

"We have no other choice," Kaemon lamented. "We cannot scout the lands, and we cannot map the area using any treasures. You saw yourself what happened when you sent clones out into the lands. Any strategy we have thought of so far to search for it has failed."

Lex frowned. Abaddon was a proverbial treasure trove, true, but Lex did not want to spend the rest of his life stuck here.

"If you don't mind, I'll also keep an eye out for ways we can expedite our search."

"Be my guest. In fact, I wouldn't mind if you completed the whole quest on my behalf. As long as the quest is completed properly, no one will care how it's done. One of the perks of being a mercenary."

"Don't tempt me Kaemon. My adventures tend to get out of hand. For now, I think I'll just focus on running my tavern. But if this ends up taking too long, no promises on what I might do."