Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [68]

After finishing their discussion of the next steps, Dottore set out to prepare the dragon he’d brought, leaving the city to make his arrangements.

Artem returned to his room.

As soon as he entered, he saw Eula standing motionless by the window, her expression somber.

“Thinking about the Mondstadt refugees?”

From the moment they’d come back into the city, Eula had worn that same look. Even if she said nothing, Artem could more or less guess what was on her mind.

“…A bit,” Eula admitted, nodding.

She seemed like she wanted to say more to Artem, but in the end just shook her head helplessly and continued gazing at the Knights of Favonius below, busy tending to the displaced.

She said nothing, but it was all there in the silence.

Artem came over and tried to reassure her.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “This dragon disaster probably won’t last much longer.”

Eula turned and gave him a look. Then she frowned, saying, “You don’t have to change your mind just to make me feel better.”

“I already told you—I won’t stand in your way, no matter what you do to Mondstadt.”

Artem smiled at that. “I mean it.”

He glanced outside at the bustling crowd, curling his lip. “Listen to what they’re saying.”

He slid the window open, letting Eula hear the noise from the street.

It was loud, but even through the din, a few phrases rose above the rest:

“May the Anemo Archon protect Mondstadt.”

“We believe in Lord Barbatos—he’ll surely come back to save us from this disaster.”

“Lord Barbatos, please come back soon!”

“Barbatos…”

Eula, surprised, said, “Praying to the Anemo Archon—that’s just Mondstadters’ habit. What’s strange about that?”

“There is something,” Artem said, leaning on the sill and glancing up at the statue of the wind god, a crooked smile on his face. “This time’s different.”

“The people of Mondstadt have lost their freedom again to the storms. Just like a thousand years ago, when the Lawrence clan ruled the old city.”

“This sort of prayer is more effective than an alarm clock.”

“With Dvalin waking early and going berserk, there’s no way Barbatos can keep sleeping through it.”

That finally seemed to shock Eula. “You mean…the Anemo Archon is about to return to Mondstadt?”

Artem nodded. “Barbatos is a god who truly cares for his people.”

“He won’t just stand by while his people suffer—or his old friends, either.”

“So this storm shouldn’t last much longer. Once the Archon is back, he’ll know how to resolve things.”

Eula’s worry eased somewhat at that. She even managed a teasing smile. “Didn’t expect you to trust the Anemo Archon so much.”

“With everything you’ve been through, I’d have thought you’d hate him.”

Artem gave a wry smile and shook his head. “How could I not have hated him?”

“When Seamus locked me in solitary, all I saw was darkness. The future—just endless, lightless unknown. Back then, I knelt on the floor and prayed to the Anemo Archon, begged him to set me free.”

“But my prayers disappeared without a trace, like pebbles dropped into the sea. No answer at all.”

“After that, I really did want to get my hands on the Archon—take my revenge, even.”

“But eventually, I realized—”
“I’m not from Teyvat. Even if the Archon’s the nicest guy in the world, he probably can’t even hear my prayers.”

“So over time, the hatred faded.”

Eula had asked about hatred, but she picked up on something else in his answer.

“You knew from the beginning you weren’t from this world?”

“I remember you were found as a baby, weren’t you?”

“You remember all that, as a baby? Did your father tell you the truth then?”

“Uh…” Artem was caught off guard by Eula’s unusual line of questioning, but could only admit, “You probably won’t believe me, but yes—I always knew I wasn’t from Teyvat.”

“I didn’t know about Alice’s prophecy, but everything else—I remembered.”

Eula clicked her tongue in amazement.
“It’s wild. Travelers from another world aren’t unheard of, but landing here as a baby and still keeping your old memories… That’s a first.”

After chatting a bit, Eula asked, “So what’s your plan now? Wait for the Archon to fix the storm, then head back to Snezhnaya?”

“Not that simple.” Artem jerked his chin toward the door. “The Second Harbinger’s here. If I don’t meet his requirements, I can’t go back to Snezhnaya even if I want to.”

“You mean—the conscription?” Eula asked.

“Yeah. Setting Dvalin loose was part of the plan for that.”

Artem nodded, then continued, “Without my intel from behind the scenes, the Knights are using the dumbest possible solution right now—just bashing heads with the Fatui.”

He let out a scornful laugh. “And all this trouble, just for a single segment of the Doctor. They actually think they can win in a direct fight.”

“If they really push him, he’ll just call in the two segments back at the Snezhnayan HQ. Even if Barbatos returns, Mondstadt will have to pay a huge price.”

“Segment?”

Eula, hearing the unfamiliar term, was curious.

Artem explained what a “segment” was, then added, “There are a lot of Doctor segments. The one sitting in Snezhnaya is the strongest—easily rivaling a mid-tier god. The one in Mondstadt is a bit weaker, but still more powerful than Varka at full strength.”

“Now you know what kind of monster The Doctor really is.”

Eula nodded, a little awed. “That’s terrifying.”

Then she pounced on something else he’d said.

“You mentioned a female boss? Never heard you talk about her before. She’s in Snezhnaya too—how does she protect you, exactly? Details.”

Artem sighed inwardly. Women really do notice the strangest details… He’d only briefly mentioned that the Mad Medic had once wanted him for an experiment, and that Arlecchino had protected him.

But there was nothing to hide, so he described in detail everything Arlecchino had done in Snezhnaya.

He finished with, “She protects me, but it’s nothing personal. Just that I’m useful to her.”

“My boss is a classic self-interested pragmatist. As long as it benefits her, she’d even draw a blade on the Tsaritsa herself.”

“I see.” Eula nodded thoughtfully, letting the topic drop.

“Oh right, you asked what I’m doing next?”

“I need to write a report to Snezhnaya. Want to take a look?”

Artem walked to the desk, beckoning Eula over.

The two of them spent a while reading and writing quietly together.

"Mondstadt is suffering a dragon disaster. Alcohol prices are expected to plummet in the short term. Recommend the Northland Bank assign agents to Dawn Winery, to buy up as much as possible at the price floor—before the Liyue traders can move in, and secure the low-priced liquor for ourselves."

"Now is the best time for the Northland Bank to enter Mondstadt. Recommend reallocating capital to open a local branch, and implementing the Liyue branch’s policies."

After reading, Eula was confused. “Buy up all Mondstadt’s wine? Leave them with nothing to drink?”

Artem snorted with laughter.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Crepus at Dawn Winery has been giving away stock for free. If the cash doesn’t keep flowing in, even he’ll run out sooner or later.”

“But with the storm, Mondstadt’s liquor exports have ground to a halt. No sales means no money coming in.”

“No Mora on this side, and on the other, massive expenses to fill the gap.”

“If it were you, what would you do?”

Eula thought a moment, then ventured, “Sell at a loss?”

“Exactly.” Artem nodded.

“The problem at Dawn Winery is product they can’t move.”

“To clear it quickly, they’ll dump stock at rock-bottom prices and let customers pick it up themselves—fast cash, no transport risk.”

“So who on the continent has both the money and muscle to protect shipments in a storm?”

Eula thought. “Maybe…every nation?”

“Not quite.” Artem shook his finger. “In practice, only two countries will come to Mondstadt and buy in bulk.”

“Liyue, and Snezhnaya.”

“Why those two?”

“Because they border Mondstadt. It’s easiest to strike hard and fast.”

“So, when Dawn Winery prices hit rock bottom, Snezhnaya must act before Liyue—swoop in, buy up the stock, empty the warehouses.”

“When the storm ends and prices rebound, we sell at a huge profit.”

“And the Northland Bank’s entry? Obvious.”

“Mondstadt’s going to need a fortune for post-storm reconstruction. With Dawn Winery’s finances wrecked and the city desperate for money, Snezhnaya’s Northland Bank can step in, offering massive, low- or zero-interest loans, secured by assets, drawing all of Mondstadt into debt.”

“Over time, Northland Bank will become Mondstadt’s biggest creditor. By the time the Knights realize what’s happened, half the city will already be Northland Bank’s property.”

Eula felt a chill.
A single dragon disaster, and the Fatui could work so many angles…

If they pulled this off, Mondstadt would be Snezhnaya’s cash cow. Even the Anemo Archon couldn’t save it.

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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!