Bai Xiaowen still wanted to lie low and develop for now. After all, the spiritual energy concentration in White Phoenix Fief was so high, and its area so vast, that it could easily attract covetous eyes. White Phoenix Fief did not yet possess enough strength to deter other territories. Even with the defender's advantage, there were no guarantees.
So Bai Xiaowen added another clause to the mutual trust agreement: only materials could be exchanged without visas. Personnel from either territory would still need the lord's approval to enter the other.
This would prevent Rivendell Territory's people from spreading word of White Phoenix Fief's prosperity.
Candice seemed very pleased after signing the preliminary mutual trust agreement.
Taking the opportunity, Bai Xiaowen asked, "Lord Candice, I've only just arrived in the Star Alliance and know too little about the situation. Could you sell me the information you have on Star Alliance territories? Brief information will do—for example, the strength tiers of active territories, especially the top-tier ones. That way, I won't accidentally provoke some big shot I shouldn't."
Candice replied, "Of course. Actually, this sort of basic intelligence is very easy to obtain within the Star Alliance, so there's no need to charge you."
After a long pause, Candice finally sent over a string of messages.
Bai Xiaowen memorized the contents at a glance. They were indeed only brief materials, containing no deep intelligence such as Territory Coordinates or the characteristics of other territories' armies.
Where Bai Xiaowen had previously made a rough five-tier classification of Star Alliance territories, Candice divided them in detail into seven tiers according to strength.
The worst, the seventh tier, consisted of pure colonies. They did not even count as vassal territories. After conquest, the suzerain territory propped up puppets to inherit the lord's Boundary Stele. These