Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Leah was already waiting at the hunters' assembly point.

Last night, her first night in Grayrock Town, was one of the few good nights she had slept in a long time.

There were no chains, no whips, no strange men reaching out their claws at her. Only the soft, happy conversation of two displaced women, and the gentle snores that lulled her to sleep.

Recalling the praise her roommate had given her upon seeing her appearance, Leah couldn't help but feel a little worried. Although the young Lord Lynn hadn't shown much curiosity about her yesterday, she still kept her pointed ears well hidden under her hair.

At the very least, their half-elf identity must not be revealed.

The hunters arrived one after another, including the "master" she had just met yesterday. Their first reaction upon seeing Leah's cleansed face was one of shock.

This girl is indeed beautiful.

But after a brief moment of surprise, the hunters made no further move. Everyone seemed to be doing their job, efficiently dividing the team and assigning tasks.

"Lia?"

She looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was her master who was leading her.

"Yes, boss." Lia smiled at the other person, which was considered a greeting.

The other person was a young man. When he saw Liya's smile, his face turned slightly red, but he quickly returned to normal.

"You'll be coming with me today. Lord Bray has assigned us a task: to conduct routine reconnaissance to the west, hunt some game, and gather some berries. Stay close to me and don't wander off."

"Okay, boss." Lia nodded.

The young man hummed in agreement, then seemed to remember something.

"By the way, don't call me 'boss' anymore. The guys in the hunting team all call me Xiao Sen. Just call me by my name—Mason."

"it is good"

……

The fog was thick, and everything in the woods was covered with a layer of damp dew.

Leah followed Mason, keeping a distance of three steps, her steps light and agile.

In her eyes, Mason's silhouette represented a silent balance achieved after the struggle between human hunters and the forest. She carefully restrained her instincts, keeping her perception within the range of "slightly better than the average person."

"Keep up, watch your step."

The path in the woods became increasingly narrow. Lia responded and looked around.

As a half-elf, she possesses half-elf blood, allowing her to "hear" the subtle changes in tone as the wind passes around leaves of different shapes, and to "see" the slight color differences caused by variations in soil moisture.

When Mason frowned at the messy footprints on the ground, Leah knew perfectly well that it was the result of three forest deer running away in fright, but she didn't intend to say it.

Her natural affability, which surpassed that of ordinary people, was troublesome to talk about, so she planned to just quietly blend in and remain inconspicuous.

As the two passed through an oak forest, a sense of foreboding suddenly came from their left front.

Leah's heart skipped a beat, but Mason was oblivious and was about to move forward.

"Wait! Mason!" Lydia called out.

Mason stopped abruptly, his hand on his composite bow, his gaze sweeping over her like lightning.

Leah had no time to think about anything else. She rushed forward, picked up a sharp-edged stone, and threw it with all her might at the thicket of thorns in front of the source of the sound!

The stone shard cut through the wind and shot in swiftly.

"squeak--!"

A fierce, frenzied howl ripped through the silence of the forest! The thorns trembled violently, and a shadow darted out from the other side, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest, leaving only a few drops of sticky, fishy-smelling black stains on the grass.

The air freezes.

Mason's face turned pale as he stared intently at the direction the monster had disappeared and the black marks on the ground: "A... a monster?" His voice was hoarse, filled with lingering fear.

He then abruptly turned to Leah, his eyes wide with shock: "How did you discover there were monsters there?"

Mason had no sense of the monster's movements at all.

"I..." Leah's heart pounded. How did she find out? It was because of that feeling of being rejected by nature, but how could she tell the other person?

"I...I don't know, I just thought I saw the grass move a little, and something felt off..." Lia said, feigning fear and trembling.

Did the grass rustle?

Mason was puzzled; he didn't remember the grass moving at all.

The explanation was weak and unconvincing. But Mason looked at the "panicked" refugee girl in front of him, who was frightened by the monster, and didn't ask any more questions.

He turned around and solemnly bowed his head to the other person's forehead: "Anyway, thank you for saving me. Without your reminder, we might all be dead here today."

"No...you're welcome."

Mason made a mark on the tree: "Let's go back first. We need to report this to Lord Bray."

On the way back, Mason was on high alert, while Leah followed silently.

Foolish! She cursed herself inwardly for her uncontrollable instinctive reaction.

But Mason's heartfelt thanks made her feel very happy.

Back in town, Mason told her to go to the public treasury to hand over the goods first, while he hurriedly went to report to Bray.

In front of the public warehouse, Martha was standing on tiptoe checking supplies with someone when she saw Leah. Her eyes lit up: "Oh! You're that pretty new lady who came yesterday! Your name is... Leah? I remember!"

Martha's voice was full of energy: "Perfect timing! Lydia, take these bags of coarse salt to Dr. Herbert's clinic, and then go to Master Thorin's place to get the list of stones for the reservoir."

She deftly handed several bags of salt to Leah.

Liya silently accepted it and headed towards the medical tent.

The shed smelled bitter, yet it was exceptionally clean. Herbert was instructing his apprentices on grinding medicinal herbs, merely nodding gently to Leah, who had brought the salt.

Lia put down the salt bag, her gaze sweeping over the neatly dried herbs and the busy master and apprentice. She had heard the refugees talk about this doctor; apparently, the lord had rescued him from a count.

The pharmacy was very simple. Occasionally, a few people would come outside asking for medicine. Whenever this happened, Herbert would always put down his instruction work and patiently help people see a doctor and get their medicine.

On the way to the construction site, Thorin's furious roar came from the watchtower: "Over there! Lay the bluestone at the corner! Stir the cement slurry again! Too much water! Do you want to build a mess of mud?!" The old craftsman's anger was almost tangible, but the workers seemed used to it.

When Leah received the list, Thorin's eyes were practically glued to the sketches. He simply waved his hand, urging, "Give it to Martha! Tell her the stones will be here by the day after tomorrow at the latest!"

Lia stood amidst the bustling construction site, holding the list. The cement, binding together the massive foundation stones, seemed unshakeable, just like this wall, just like this wildly growing town.

The people here are very busy, but no one complains, no one is exploited, and no one is whipped.

A sense of confusion and unreality lingered in her mind.

She suddenly became very curious about Lynn, what kind of person he was, and why he could get people to work so hard for him? Why was this not-so-big town so prosperous?

It should be the noble lords directing their men to whip these refugees, forcing them to work, and then the people complaining.

Back at the co-working space, after handing the list to Martha, Leah looked at the girl who, despite being incredibly busy, remained energetic and seemed brimming with vitality. She hesitated before speaking:

"Um...Miss Martha, could...could you tell me about Lord Lynn?"

Upon hearing her lord's name, Martha's eyes lit up. This young lady, who looked not much older than herself, made her feel very close to her. She smiled and pulled Lia's small hand to sit down.

"Excellent! My lord! He's such a wonderful person!"

Martha paused, a sly smile appearing on her face:

"However, he wasn't like this before he came here. I'll tell you a secret, but you mustn't tell the lord. The lord was in the capital before..."