Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [42]

Eula didn’t enter the city with Artem Vetrovski.

Instead, she slipped in alone through a side gate.

Though the two of them had shared drinks more than a few times, it was almost always Artem who invited her—and Amber was usually there too.

Even so, she still managed to attract plenty of criticism.

Not everyone in Mondstadt recognized the Snezhnayan envoy, but as long as a single person could identify Artem’s true identity…

Rumors would spread like wildfire.

The sinner’s heir and that Fatui bastard are drinking together—who knows, maybe they’re plotting to overthrow Mondstadt right this moment.

The people of Mondstadt didn’t care who initiated contact, or what was actually being said. As far as they were concerned, as soon as a Lawrence and the Fatui were involved, nothing good could come of it.

So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, the two decided to enter the city separately.

Just as Artem had planned.

Eula went straight back to her guerrilla squad, found her captain, and requested an extended leave. After that, she returned to the Lawrence estate to await her next move.

Artem himself headed back to the Goth Grand Hotel.

The moment he stepped inside, he could hear furious shouting from upstairs.

“Where the hell did all these Mondstadt paupers get so much money?!”

“You useless idiots—can’t even handle a simple job!”

“All these days, and you still haven’t recruited a single new soldier!”

“When the master arrives, I’ll have every last one of you thrown onto the operating table!”

Artem’s eyebrows lifted in amusement.

Looks like Crepus is pulling out all the stops this time.

To think he could actually keep up with Krupp, who’s backed by The Regrator and his bottomless purse.

“Sir!”

“You’re back at last!”

Leonid, currently on patrol, hurried up to Artem the moment he entered, then launched straight into complaints.

“Sir, while you were away, Lord Krupp nearly turned Mondstadt inside out.”

“Recruitment’s gone terribly, so when he gets angry, he has us running around the city twenty-four hours a day.”

“The men are at their breaking point.”

“Sir, I’m not saying Lord Krupp is wrong or anything, it’s just… the boys can’t keep this up much longer.”

Artem didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gave Leonid a careful once-over.

This kid—gone a few days and now he’s all proper and polite. Even his complaints are starting to sound formal. And he’s learned how to report indirectly, too.

He stared until Leonid started to squirm under the scrutiny, then finally waved his hand.

“Don’t pay any attention to that bastard. From now on, you only take orders from me.”

“Go tell the others: follow the original training schedule.”

“Yes, sir!” Leonid saluted with a burst of enthusiasm.

He was just about to leave, then seemed to remember something. Hesitantly, he pointed upstairs and asked, “Sir, what about Lord Krupp…?”

“What about him?”

“Heh.”

“Let him stew.”

Artem let out a loud laugh and walked toward his own office, leaving Leonid behind, scratching his head and wondering what “let him stew” was supposed to mean.

While Artem had been away, his office had long since been commandeered by Krupp.

At this moment, Krupp was in there, furiously spitting abuse at his personal guards.

Recruitment had gone smoothly at first.

With Mora as incentive, the people of Mondstadt had been eager enough.

But once the Knights of Favonius got involved—

Everything changed.

Somehow, the supposedly penniless Knights had managed to match his funding at every turn.

And joining the Knights was simply more appealing than joining the Fatui—even if the pay was the same, or even less, people would line up for the Knights before considering the Fatui.

As for Artem, the man who’d signed the recruitment contract—he’d vanished without a trace.

With the whole plan stalled, Krupp, in his frustration, could only take out his anger on Artem’s men.

Creak.

Just as Krupp was mid-rant, face red with rage, Artem pushed the door open and walked in.

The room fell instantly silent at the sight of him.

Then Krupp slammed the table, roaring, “Artem, you bastard! You finally decided to show up.”

“So, what now?!”

“The contract was your idea—figure something out!”

“If we fail the master’s mission, we’re all dead!”

But this time, Artem didn’t curse him out like usual.

He just fixed Krupp with a cold stare and said, “I’ve found out who’s funding the Knights of Favonius.”

“Take them out, and we deal with the root of the problem.”

Krupp’s jaw dropped.

A moment later, he was ecstatic. “Who is it?! Tell me!”

“Dawn Winery. Crepus Ragnvindr.”

The instant he heard the name, Krupp’s joy vanished and he flew into a rage.

“Crepus?!”

“So that two-faced bastard—he’s taken favors from the master all these years, and now he dares stand against him?!”

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Krupp realized his mistake and clapped a hand over his mouth.

He knew Artem had previously received an assassination order for Crepus from The Rooster, the Fifth Harbinger.

Now he’d slipped up and revealed Crepus’s connection to The Doctor.

Fifth Harbinger targeting the Second Harbinger’s man—if word got out, it’d sound like he was trying to set the master up against The Rooster.

Luckily, Artem didn’t seem to notice the implications.

He continued, face serious: “I already tried to assassinate Crepus a while back.”

“But our agent in Mondstadt turned traitor. The operation failed, and Eroch—the informant—was taken out.”

“Mondstadt is on high alert against me now.”

“This time, you’ll be the one to kill Crepus.”

Hearing this, Krupp didn’t even have to think before refusing outright. “I’m a scholar, not an assassin.”

“A scholar?” Artem burst out laughing. “You?”

He scoffed. “Don’t kid yourself. You’re just scared.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you—this assassination came directly from The Rooster himself. Pull it off, and you’ll earn serious credit.”

“And besides, the old man’s openly working against us now.”

“If you kill him, even The Doctor might look at you differently.”

“Krupp, if the Knights weren’t breathing down my neck, do you really think I’d let you have a shot at this?”

Those words hit Krupp right where it hurt.

The stalled recruitment drive had left him frustrated.

Now, here was a chance to cut the problem off at the source—and win the approval of not one but two Harbingers.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted.

But… I’m just a regular person. Killing Crepus, with his [Delusion]? Isn’t that asking to get myself killed?

Seeing the eagerness and hesitation battling on Krupp’s face, Artem gave a dismissive snort.

“Don’t worry about Crepus’s [Delusion].”

“Varka took it when I tried to kill him, and his dealings with The Doctor have already been exposed.”

“If he weren’t scared of Varka killing him, do you really think he’d be helping the Knights so wholeheartedly against us?”

At that, Krupp’s eyes lit up.

Crepus didn’t have his [Delusion] anymore!

And he’d betrayed the master!

If he could kill Crepus, the master would be thrilled!

This deal—

It’s worth it!

After weighing his options, Krupp put on an exaggerated air of reluctance. “Fine. I’ll help you this once.”

But the way he couldn’t hide his sleazy grin made Artem snort coldly.

“Ten days from now, there’ll be a banquet at Dawn Winery.”

“You’ll go as Snezhnaya’s deputy envoy.”

“Find an opportunity to let Crepus know you serve The Doctor, and arrange a private meeting with him somewhere quiet.”

“The old man won’t dare refuse.”

“Then, you just—”

Artem drew a thumb across his throat in a slicing gesture, grinning viciously.

Krupp caught the meaning and burst into raucous laughter.

---

T/N: such a shitty plan... perfect for him LMAOO

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!