Undercover in Snezhnaya, My Teyvat Spy Life [28]

Rosaria quickly delivered the intel to the Grand Master’s office.

Varka, who’d been racking his brain over how to deal with Crepus without causing an uproar, felt his head buzz as he finished reading.

The so-called most loyal Mondstadt covert ops… and now, twenty-four traitors exposed in a single sweep!

Some of them were even high-ranking intelligence officers.

If it were only one or two, Varka could have convinced himself they’d just been tempted by personal gain.

But this many?
Clearly, something was rotten inside the Church of Favonius itself.

Varka suddenly felt grateful for his earlier foresight.

If he hadn’t already taken care of most people who knew Artem’s real identity, that “super-spy” might have been torn out by the Fatui long ago.

But that, at least, could be handled slowly.
The next piece of intel was what truly made his heart sink:

The Fatui were planning to open a draft in Mondstadt.

What kind of insanity is this?!

What right did Snezhnaya have to conscript in Mondstadt?

Varka’s first reaction was fury, but it was quickly replaced by a wave of helplessness.

With the Second and Ninth Harbingers acting together, in terms of both force and funding, Mondstadt was nowhere near a match.

Annoyed, he drummed his fingers restlessly on the desk, thinking for a long while before giving a command to Jean beside him.

“Jean, send word for Bishop Seamus.”

“Yes, Grand Master.”

Jean answered and hurried out.

Watching her go, Varka sighed softly.

Still too young…

As the newly named “Lion of the South,” Jean was outstanding.
In swordsmanship, scholarship, and leadership, she was one of the finest of her generation.

But she was only fifteen, not nearly ready to bear the weight of all Mondstadt.

With the Archon gone and the Dragon of the East missing, Mondstadt’s position was still far too fragile.

These past years, only Varka and Seamus had been holding everything together, and even they were starting to buckle under the strain.

The young generation was full of promise, but all were still too green to share that burden.

Jean soon returned, leading Bishop Seamus into the office.

“What’s happened?”

Seamus asked, worry etched in his face the moment he entered.

For Varka to summon him so late at night, he could sense something serious was afoot.

Seeing that Varka and Seamus intended to talk business, Jean prepared to step out.

But Varka called her back at once.

“Jean, stay.”

Seamus stiffened, taken aback.

“Varka, isn’t it a bit early?”

“It’s not.” Varka’s tone was grave.
"There are things the Lion of the South needs to know.”

“But…”

Seamus was still reluctant.

As a father, he didn’t want his daughter exposed to Mondstadt’s shadows so soon.

He’d rather bear that darkness himself—Jean should walk in the light.

Varka shot him a look, voice sharp.

“Seamus, this isn’t a game.”

“Mondstadt needs its Lion of the South, its Dandelion Knight, to grow up—quickly.”

“…”

At those words, Seamus, though still uneasy, held his tongue.

He realized Varka must have some truly dire intel, and it made sense to start grooming Jean now, as both Gunnhildr heir and Knight of Favonius.

With Seamus silent, Varka handed them the two files.

“Take a look.”

Jean took one, scanned it, and blinked in confusion.

“Grand Master, what’s this say?”

“It’s in cipher,” Seamus said darkly.
“A code our agents in Snezhnaya invented. Only a handful can read it.”

“A code? Jean’s brow furrowed. “Then is this intelligence from Snezhnaya?”

“Mm.”

“And it says… the Church of Favonius—” Seamus’s face darkened further.

“It’s a list of traitors in the Church.”

So many! Jean stared, shocked by the long row of names.

“That’s not all,” Seamus added.
“There’s also a summary of the Fatui’s next operation.”

His hand trembled slightly as he held the paper.

He swallowed hard.

“The Fatui are planning a draft in Mondstadt. No details on numbers. It’s orchestrated by the Second and Ninth Harbingers.”

“What!!”

The always-calm Jean couldn’t suppress a gasp, her shock clear in her eyes.

Just like Varka, her first thought was: What right does Snezhnaya have to draft Mondstadters?!

“Let’s hear your ideas.”

“The Fatui are coming at us hard, but we can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“How do we get them to drop the draft plan?”

Varka’s voice was low and tense.

The room fell silent.

Seamus and Jean both furrowed their brows, lost in thought.

After a long pause, to both men’s surprise, Jean was the first to speak.

“Could we use force—just stop them outright?”

Her naive question made both Varka and Seamus chuckle, despite themselves.

“Seems we’ve protected you a little too well,” Varka said, shaking his head.

“The Fatui’s Second Harbinger is leagues beyond me in strength. Alone, he could destroy all of Mondstadt.”

“If he wasn’t afraid of waking the Anemo Archon from slumber, the Fatui wouldn’t bother being polite at all.”

“...!” Jean drew a sharp breath.

She’d known Snezhnaya’s military strength was greater, but she’d never realized the gap was so vast.

Just one Harbinger could flatten the whole city?

No wonder the Grand Master and her father let the Fatui envoy get away with so much in Mondstadt.

“I have an idea.”

Seamus finally spoke up.

“Money. Outbid them.”

“The Fatui can’t forcibly draft people, right?”

“If it’s voluntary, there has to be pay.”

“So, we offer more. Whatever they pay, we pay more. With the Knights’ reputation, we can persuade most residents not to join the Fatui.”

“But we have to consider the other scenario: what if the Fatui do resort to forced conscription?”

“In that case…”

“I think we should have someone cause a scene in the Fatui delegation—a scandal big enough to make them lose all standing in Mondstadt. The exact plan would depend on the situation, of course.”

Varka nodded. “That’s a good start.”

Then he changed tack, asking, “And the money?”

“The Ninth Harbinger—Pantalone—is said to be richer than all seven nations. How much can we put up to match 'The Regrator’?”

Seamus had clearly thought it through.

“Crepus.”

“We have leverage over him thanks to that person. And after all the years he’s enjoyed Mondstadt’s protection, it’s only fair he steps up now.”

Varka stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Jean, for her part, looked utterly lost, glancing between the two men.

What kind of leverage did they have over Lord Crepus?
And why was her father so casual about it?
Hadn’t he always said Crepus was the pillar of Mondstadt’s economy?

And, most importantly—

That person?
Who were they talking about?

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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!