While Raphael in the Cultivator World searched for the missing disciples of the Penglai Immortal Sect, the Raphael under house arrest in Backlund's West Borough began his first trial to become an Oracle of the Aurora Order.
The trial was overseen by Botis, the Saint of Secrets, and Kisma, Saint Tenebrous. Since Raphael and Xavier, the rose bishop, were about to take part in an important operation, Kisma would follow them from the shadows throughout the assessment to prevent Raphael from accidentally leaking any secrets.
Raphael knew perfectly well that it made no real difference whether this trial took place a few days earlier or later.
But since the Saints of the Aurora Order had scheduled it on the eve of a secret operation, they were clearly using it to motivate the two Sequence 6 Beyonders taking part.
Botis, the Saint of Secrets, was a black-robed man not yet forty. His brown hair was slightly curly, yet gave an oddly stiff impression.
Raphael "remembered him." He was a traitor to the Abraham Family.
Kisma, Saint Tenebrous, had not appeared, but Raphael suspected he might be hiding somewhere, secretly observing the two candidates taking the Oracle trial.
Botis briefly explained the rules of the first trial. He would take Raphael and Xavier separately to Enmat Harbor and the industrial city of Conston, where each would resolve a problem facing the local Aurora Order.
The actual work would still be carried out by local members of the Aurora Order. Raphael and Xavier would merely offer recommendations, with the main aim being to assess whether they possessed the leadership skills of an Oracle.
They had only twenty-four hours for the entire trial, from learning about the problem and making contact with the local Beyonder forces to proposing a solution.
Raphael remembered that the