"Thank you, for agreeing to assist me." Pina greeted. "You said you had information for me?"
Lelei, apprentice to the archmage Cato, nodded, as she was shown in. She placed a bundle of papers on the 'coffee' table.
"You are offering to pay me, and NATO has had less need for my translation skills recently." She explained. "In addition, the scholars of NATO are focused on other matters, and so they are not paying me for my magic."
Pina blinked.
"It is highly improper not to refer to her highness with the proper respect."
She sighed. Bozes had arrived earlier that day, with a small honour guard, carrying messages.
"I am not an imperial citizen, nor am I hired as a retainer." Lelei explained, her face impassive, unflinching in the face of Bozes' tirade. "I am of the Rurudo nomads, who are independent, and I am applying to become a US citizen."
Pina blinked as Bozes stared in bewilderment.
"When you say US citizen, do you mean citizenship of their capitol, or major city?" The Saderan princess asked.
"No. They define citizens as members of their entire nation. This is the case for nearly all the nations of the other world. In fact, it is part of their laws regarding international travel." Lelei explained, her face never betraying any emotion.
"How… many citizens does the 'US' have?" Pina asked, dread creeping into her tone. Such a level of organisation seemed implausible, but if they had succeeded, then either their spy networks were very good, or the bureaucracy was so ironclad, the Empire would have a very difficult time using any.
"At present, the US has a population of approximately three hundred, thirty million." Bozes gave a laugh of disbelief, while Pina felt her jaw drop. "They constitute the largest population of NATO, which totals nine hundred, fifty million."
Pina found herself sitting down. She didn't remember sitting down.
Bozes started calling for Hamilton, who was better with numbers.
Pina struggled to understand. The Empire could barely match the US' population, if one included all the vassals, colonies, and the various barbarian tribes around the colonies, and if the person counting used the highest estimates. Theoretically.
She knew the number was probably inflated, but she had hired Lelei because of her teacher's recommendation, and because as a mage, Lelei was also a scholar. If the numbers were inflated, then Pina doubted they were inflated by more than a couple million, and was probably due to Lelei's own miscalculations.
If the US alone could match the Empire… Pina shook her head. There were other ways to match a stronger foe. The US likely had enemies, even within NATO. No alliance was perfect. But that was a thought for the future, for now, Pina needed to understand things that could benefit the negotiations, and how much danger the Empire was in.
"How large is the military? And where is most of it deployed?"
"I don't know for sure. I know NATO has a total of five million troops, between all nations, but I do not know where they are deployed, or what reserve forces they had. You asked me for general population information, and that is what I have provided." The blue haired girl tonelessly explained. "I have included economic information, and a general overview of what they use to trade, such as vehicles and money, as well as the estimated value that passes between the US and Canada."
Pina frowned and began thumbing through the files. She flinched, reading several economic numbers. She was not gifted in the areas of trade, but she understood how hard it could be to maintain an estate, or several, let alone a nation with armies and fleets.
"Hamilton… are these numbers correct?" She handed one set off to her aide.
"My lady, this… this has to be faked!" Bozes shouted. "A population so large… where would they put all the people? How would they feed them?"
"We will operate on the assumption the information Lelei was accessing is at least partially accurate. We do not have any other option." Pina stated firmly. "I have no doubt NATO has altered information, given they provided it to her, but they couldn't risk altering it too much, or it would be obvious when we visit."
"They did not provide the information." Lelei corrected. "I accessed the Internet."
Pina blinked.
"What?"
"It is a method of communication, like their radios, that lets 'computers', devices used for a number of tasks, including administration and accounting, communicate and share information between them and archives where information is stored." Lelei shrugged. "One of the scholars gifted me a 'laptop', a form of portable computer, and I was given access to the civilian internet, which connects to their internet on the other side of the gate. It is worldwide, and I have access to many libraries and archives, such as one called Wikipedia, and a 'search engine', a tool for sifting through these archives, called 'Google'."
Pina blinked.
"They really let you have access to something so… powerful?" She froze. "Wait, how common are computers with internet access?"
"Very. From what I understand almost every household has at least one computer, most have several devices comparable to computers."
There was a thump as Bozes failed to catch Hamilton, who fainted.
"Who the hell let the blue haired mage have a computer, let alone internet access!?" The Intelligence officer in charge of the team monitoring Princess Pina's entourage screamed at his people. "I want to know a week ago!"