"Do you wind up with people who have half a dozen being viciously attacked by the depressed and childless?"

"They started splitting the purple credits because they were worried about social unrest and strikes and so on. But viciously attacking people is a great way to never get kids and until then there's always a chance. - there used to be lotteries. We banned them, a couple years back, for being exploitative - expected value about half the money you spent, but you could spend a month dreaming you might win a credit..."

"Dear god."

" - people could move in, if they wanted - not tons of you but if you've got better farming than us certainly some -"

"There are six hundred million of us."

"Wow. Yeah, not that many."

"That's the country," adds Cam, "not the planet."

"Thirteen billion for the planet."

"There are probably around one and a half million people in Marlatia and I have no idea about the rest of the world."

"Not no idea, surely."

"It's at least that much again and it's not thirteen billion. We only recently got trade routes across the oceans and the reports from traders are wild, I don't trust them on anything."

"Ah."

"Can you check with your conjuring?"

"I could conjure miniaturized mindless copies of everyone on your planet if I wanted to, sure, but..."

"Can't just get the number?"

"If someone has already counted them and wrote it down, sure..."

"I really doubt it."

"My powers are only so ridiculous."

"Ah well. We'll do a census next year, have it at least for the country."

Nod.

"What do you do exactly -"

"I am the King of Marlatia. - my father abdicated, didn't want it -"

"I bet."

"Huh."

"Hmm?"