Lawa didn't know how Sada convinced the old man, but he was officially stamped to be the Gatekeeper's apprentice, and he would begin to stay with him.
He was given the role of sweeping the front gate every morning and then lighting lanterns when night came.
However, he intended to approach the old man the very day he arrived.
When the night came, he took ten lanterns and went around on different stone poles and set them while lighting them with flame.
After that, he walked directly to the restricted area where the old man rested for some hours before going back to his post.
The old man has no immediate family, but he has a lot of grandchildren that have their own grandchildren.
Which means he might be a True Master or even an Absolute Master.
Though, Lawa didn't know which one it was and he didn't care.
The old man was sucking his pipe smoke with content as usual when he saw a boy holding a lantern coming his way.
'I agreed to take him in but he is already here to curry more favour.'
The old man knew Lawa's identity and also knew that he couldn't cultivate any time soon.
Since Gate Keeper's job was usually away from most people, Lawa needed a place to hide and develop.
Having a potential Prophet, even though a broken one, was a good thing; who knew what the brat could become?
Even if the brat didn't become anything at least he can extort some value from the Chief.
"What are you doing here?" The old man cracked at Lawa with a shout, "Go back to your post!"
Lawa's soft voice then sounded as he said, "Immortal Gate Keeper, please allow me to have an audience with you!"
Cultivators claimed to be immortals but the reality was far from the truth. And in the Marmara Clan, no one called anyone immortal for no reason.
However, when one was called Immortal, it served as a gesture of prayer of good wishes and long life.
Also, to the old man, the Immortal name held a different meaning, and so he was speechless at first before he laughed.
"Haha. Sada didn't say you have a silver tongue. These old bones don't really want to live for another century!"
The old man cackled pleased with the well wishes.
"I'm a prophet", Lawa began; seeing the man's calm demeanour, he added, "When the Ancestor appears, you are still alive and kicking while many True Masters kicked the bucket!"
"Haha. Of course, I'm good at surviving. How do you think I lived to almost the end of my lifespan."
The old man then shook his head before he frowned and said.
"Hmm. You just lied now, Larai, Marium and even Qutu told me I was killed at the last battle."
"They are unaware, running and hiding, trying not to be killed. As for me, I was with you when the Ancestor showed up!" Lawa said calmly.
"Are you sure boy!" The old man asked excited.
It's uncommon to have different variations of the same event but the old man shrugged it off.
"Absolute Round Stone"
Absolute round stone was a gesture of certainty and perfect truth.
Lawa sat across from the old man and placed the lantern to show his face before he went straight to the point.
His voice filled with uncertainty.
"I'm not smart like the other Prophets. I'm terrified and can't even form coherent thoughts about what I want to do with the knowledge I have now. But after repeated thinking, I realised that I can also obtain things that only I can get. Since most of the things I remember aren't in the Clan Stone Wall"
"What is it you want from me then? You want me to let you leave the Stone Wall?"
Lawa stared at the elderly man before his lips quivered, wavering in what he was about to say, but he didn't know if he would be killed due to how sensitive the issue was.
"I know how to make Miracle Stones,"
True to what Lawa feared, the air around him became still and dust coalesced into needles, ready to pierce him in all directions.
However, Lawa was oblivious to it; in his senses, nothing changed.
This showed how far ahead the Gate Keeper was compared to him. The man even smiled kindly and said softly,
"You do. That's surprising, how did you find out? And tell me the process!"
Lawa looked around, but he couldn't see anything amiss. However, his common sense knew that the forbidden knowledge he carried warranted instant death.
If not because he has the title of Prophet, he won't know what hit him.
"I have common sense and I'm not dense. I might not be incredibly intelligent or a great schemer but I know basic things."
Lawa, too, smiled as he stared at the old man in the eye.
"I know you know how it can be made. You also know one of the Prophets or some of them are using that knowledge to get themselves numerous of the stones."
Lawa continued with a deep sigh.
"From what I can remember, at the last battle, you were defeated by the Weish Soldiers but not killed. They had brutally pierced your chest and head and dropped you on a Marma Stone where a Miracle Stone appeared subsequently. Everyone that goes through that process dies, only you defy death!"
This time Lawa senses danger from the old man but he quickly says,
"I'm pleading to you to help me use myself to acquire Miracle Stone"
"Little boy you must have been mistaken. Haha. You are called Prophets because you glimpse at the future. But it wasn't everything that you remembered is the truth"
Lawa felt irritated; he hated beating around the bush, but the old man just wanted that.
He allowed his emotions to show on his face as he began to say in quick sentences.
"Elder, I said I'm not good at verbal debate. One thing I know is I might be a simpleton but I'm capable of analysing things and grasping concrete proof."
He didn't wait for the old man to say anything as he continued.
"At first, when I somehow noticed a lot of Miracle Stones in some places within the Stone Walls, I dreaded that we murdered our people to get it, but then I saw you, and I remembered what I saw about you. I then observed and felt the Miracle Stones around and a lot of them emit the same pressure as you. You made them."
Lawa lacked confidence in himself but he now has unwavering convictions to pursue what he thinks will help him to the end.
He stared at the old man in the eye with palpable convictions.
The old man sighed,
"Making Miracle Stones is taboo. Killing someone for the sake of a piece of junk is never worth it in the grand scheme of things. Those that broke those rules will surely be dealt with in time!"
His voice was firm and made Lawa's body tremble.
"You want me to speak frankly to you, I shall entertain you. Your mind is broken and splintering away like a brittle stone. You are a stone's throw away from complete crumbling."
"I know that Elder. I did not deny my condition but I know my worth too. Please hear my plan."
Lawa tried to force a confident smile but failed miserably.
"I wish to leave Marmara Stone Wall. To pursue some treasures that I know they haven't yet been touched. The reason why I want to leave is, I can't compete with the Prophets here. They are better than me and more stable. Only by braving outside will I build my confidence and stable mind."
"As weak as you are, you will die 200 meters away from the Stone Wall."
"I will use Extreme Skill Fake Equality!"
The old man was shocked but he kept his question and listened to the plan.
"I will add Yellow Desert to have some versatility. I will travel to four places to obtain any one or all of the treasures if I get a chance. Then I will head to a certain kingdom where I will get a Restoration Elixir to come back to normal before I travel back here to cultivate."
"How did you know about Extreme Skill Fake Equality?" The old man asked.
Lawa smiled, "I'm not too dumb you know. We are Marmara Clansmen; our geniuses are numerous, that is why we look ordinary. But we the ordinaries all have something unique and of value that we can do!"
The duo converse and argue, but ultimately, Guardian Gatekeeper has no choice but to allow Lawa to follow his plans. The reason was that in this confusing situation, Lawa's mental health would deteriorate, and he would be utterly useless; suicide would just be around the corner.
Not to mention, the Marmara Clan has strict rules and hierarchy together with a lot of norms and traditions.
A useless prophet might be worse than a dead prophet. Why? Because of self loathing and stone heart demon development.
"When do you want to leave?" The old man asked before he sucked his pipe smoke.
"In five days, it depends on what happens next!" Lawa said.
The old man sprang up and walked while Lawa followed him.
They moved from one cave that led to another, then to a cavern then to a burrow until they reached a tight, long cave.
Inside were numerous Marma Stones; some were floating while some were constantly drifting, but many were on the floor.
"Sit, let me tell you more about this; if you want to continue, then we continue."
"There is a strong backlash for surviving the harvest. Death is not the worst possibility!"