Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [74]

Several more days of uneasy calm passed.

The Fatui had made no new moves.

Stormterror, too, had been quiet for a while. Judging by that, it seemed the Grand Master was making progress.

But none of this allowed Jean the slightest bit of relief.

All this time, as the Fatui showered Mondstadt with money and good deeds, their own Knights of Favonius were once again scraping the bottom of the barrel financially.

What's worse is even Crepus, who was supposed to fund them, could no longer offer any more support.

Stormterror’s rampage had dealt a severe blow to Dawn Winery.

First, the docks at Ginsborough Port were wrecked by the windstorm. Then, a cargo ship loaded with goods ran aground en route.

And then, the Stone Gate trade route was hit by a monster horde—every caravan destroyed.

Just like that, Mondstadt’s trade routes to Liyue and Inazuma were severed.

In normal times, the Knights would have sent people out immediately to repair the roads.

But now, under such Fatui pressure, they couldn’t even handle the Fatui inside Mondstadt and the surrounding areas, let alone send people out to restore trade.

With the roads cut off, Dawn Winery’s wine couldn’t be shipped out, and the Knights of Favonius had no money to use.

And the poorer the Knights looked during disaster relief, the more dazzling the Fatui’s generosity appeared.

Trapped in this vicious cycle, the Knights’ reputation was dropping, step by painful step.

If not for a thousand years of deep roots, the Fatui’s PR offensive alone would have been enough to topple the Knights without ever drawing a sword.

This so-called “Albert”—the one who’d betrayed Mondstadt—was truly a terrifying opponent.

Just thinking about it made Jean rub her temples, head pounding.

Suddenly, a sharp knock at the door yanked her from her thoughts.

Jean quickly hid her fatigue, composing herself. “Come in.”

“Captain Jean, bad news! Another draconic monster has appeared!”

The knight who burst in was so shaken, he’d forgotten his basic etiquette.

“Another dragon?!”

The news hit Jean like a bolt of lightning—her weariness vanished, replaced by sheer horror.

One Dvalin had already plunged Mondstadt into chaos. Now, there was another one?

How was Mondstadt supposed to survive this?

“Miss Lisa has confirmed it—it’s Ursa, the dragon driven out by Grand Master Vennessa a thousand years ago.”

“Captain Jean, it tore through Springvale, destroyed the newly rebuilt town, and seven of our people died evacuating the residents…”

Springvale’s reconstruction had always been handled by the Knights, while the Fatui just bought boar meat at high prices to help the locals.

Now, with Springvale in ruins again and casualties among their ranks, the knight couldn’t hold back his frustration—he choked up, tears welling before Jean.

Through the stifled sobs, Jean forced herself to stay calm. Her voice was grave.

“Where’s the dragon now? Do we know?”

The knight wiped his eyes. “No idea. We only saw it flying west.”

“West… west…”

Jean turned, eyes fixed on the wall map.

Just east of Springvale sat Mondstadt’s economic heart—Dawn Winery.

Could the Fatui’s target be Lord Crepus?

Jean didn’t doubt where this sudden Ursa had come from. It had to be the Fatui’s doing.

And the way things looked, their target was none other than Crepus Ragnvindr—the hope was to destroy Mondstadt’s economic pillar in one decisive blow.

If they succeeded, Mondstadt really would be done for.

Jean paced back and forth, thinking it through.

“What have the Fatui been up to lately?”

“The same as always—relief work, spending money. Half the damaged houses in Mondstadt have already been rebuilt by them.”

“No other moves? Any troop movements?”

“Yes, but it’s all been in reverse. Their relief teams outside the city have mostly been called back, and the elite squad that disappeared has been spotted back inside Mondstadt.”

“And the Snezhnayan envoy?”

“He’s out every day with Eula Lawrence, inspecting the Fatui’s work. Once they’re done, they go to Angel’s Share to drink. Their routine is like clockwork.”

“….”

What are the Fatui really planning?

Jean couldn’t make sense of it.

If their aim was Crepus, they should be sending people out, not pulling them back, if anything, their actions were the opposite, like they were deliberately trying to show the Knights they had no intention of targeting Crepus.

Was this all part of some plot?

As Jean pondered, the knight added:

“Captain Jean, one more thing, that Snezhnayan envoy has been listening to a new bard sing for days now. Every time, he tips generously and invites the bard to Angel’s Share for drinks.”

“They can spend hours there together.”

The knight scowled. “If you ask me, this bard must be colluding with the Fatui. Should we arrest him and interrogate him?”

Jean considered this carefully, then shook her head. “No evidence—don’t grab anyone without cause. For all we know, the envoy’s doing it on purpose.”

Then she issued orders:
“Go to Dragonspine and ask Mr. Albedo to stay at Dawn Winery for a while.”

“Send cavalry and scouts out of the city to search for Ursa. Do not let it cause any more destruction.”

“Yes, Captain Jean.”

When the knight left, Jean let out a long sigh, frowning at the map of Mondstadt—her head pounding with worry.

…

Venti’s hand paused on his mug, his expression going oddly stiff.

“What is it?”

Artem clinked his glass against Venti’s, catching the change.

“Oh, nothing.”

Venti flashed his familiar, mischievous grin, draining his glass in one gulp.

Artem finished his drink too, then waved to Charles:

“Two more dandelion wines, please.”

He turned back to Venti with a question.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. You spend every day singing for coins or drinking—what about Dvalin? You’ve just left him alone?”

“Sigh—” Venti shrugged, helpless. “That masked bastard’s always tailing Dvalin. Nothing I can do.”

“Ah.”

“I really can’t help you there. That guy’s not someone I can get in touch with. When he’s bored, he’ll come back on his own.”

Artem looked a little apologetic.

Honestly, even if he could get hold of Dottore, he doubted Dottore would listen to him anyway.

“Sigh—”

Venti, for once, looked genuinely troubled.

Dvalin had quieted down, but not thanks to Varka.

It was Dottore who’d scared him into hiding.

Even with his mind a muddle, Dvalin could still sense a deadly enemy out for his life and instinctively kept out of sight.

To protect Dvalin, Varka had been forced to face Dottore alone.

The two had clashed more than once deep in the wilds.

Luckily, Varka’s strength was on par with this Dottore “segment,” and with Dvalin occasionally coming to his senses and joining the fight, the standoff continued.

After another mug of dandelion wine, Artem stood to say goodbye to Venti.

Dealing with a god like this was unexpectedly relaxing.

Venti wasn’t anything like the Tsaritsa; there was nothing divine or remote about him—he was more like a sunny, approachable boy willing to be your friend.

Over these days, the two had become more like old friends than political adversaries.

They might not share everything, but there was no more of that wary, underhanded edge from when they’d first met.

At the entrance to the Goth Grand Hotel, Artem yawned and pushed open the door.

And there—he saw a figure both startlingly familiar and utterly unexpected.

Short hair, black and white, with striking red cross patterns in her eyes; features so similar to Eula’s; clad in the full formal uniform and cloak of a Harbinger.

“Lady Arlecchino…?”

“What are you doing here?”

Artem stood dumbfounded.

Why would his boss abandon the Hearth House in Snezhnaya to show up in Mondstadt?

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T/N: Yay! him and venti are fwiends :))

This is a fan translation of 提瓦特之我在至冬做臥底 by 曉風殘月聽荷 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!