"So," says Zara, meeting Korva one street over from the convention hall, where she can sort of spy on the delegates exiting but can't really see them very well, which is the price of all of them hopefully not noticing her. "How was it?"
"Nobody in there knows how to write a fucking constitution! Not me, and not the archdukes, much less the halfling slaves they bought to sit on it! This whole thing is - like, almost exactly fifty percent serious and fifty percent a joke, which is just about the worst possible percentage split!"
" - alright, listen. If we have to write a constitution, we are going to be one hundred percent serious about it. Zara, you are now my assistant."
"We're studying the genre, first off. I need copies of the constitution of Andoran, the constitution of Galt - as many consitutions as they had, if there were multiple - and books or notes or summaries of how the government functions in as many other countries as possible, especially Absalom, Lastwall, Taldor, Osirion, Rahadoum, Kelesh, Hermea - look, anywhere you can get, but the more civilized, the better."
She hands her four silver. "Up to this much; report back if you find something borderline or more expensive. The money is only for buying texts that are exactly what we're looking for. We don't have a good way of getting more metal. Understand?"