Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the fourth day, Lynn was inspecting the final section of the wall reinforcement with Thorin when Rhodes came running up, panting, his face a mixture of exhaustion and barely suppressed excitement:

"My lord! My master... my master sent me to invite you! That... that steam engine, the first prototype, is assembled! My master said we can give it a try!"

Lynn perked up, nodded to Thorin, and quickly followed Rhodes to the work shed.

The workers' shed was steaming hot, and in the center of the open space stood a strange-looking steel structure.

It had a crude boiler made of thick iron plates riveted together, connected to a crooked chimney.

A relatively well-proportioned cast iron cylinder points upwards, connected to a heavy flywheel via several connecting rods of varying thicknesses.

Everywhere were handcrafted valves, pipes, and fasteners, simple yet exceptionally sturdy.

Hal was conducting a final check-up with two young men assisting him. His eyes were sunken, clearly indicating he hadn't had much rest in the past few days, but his gaze was bright and piercing.

Upon seeing Lynn, he immediately straightened up:

"Sir, according to the blueprints, all the parts that could be made have been made. The cylinder and piston have been broken in multiple times, and they are the perfect match. The boiler has been pressure tested using the method you suggested, and it's normal. Master Solin added copper bushings to the connection between the connecting rod and the flywheel, so it should be able to turn. It's just that the intake and exhaust valves have to be manually operated, and the timing is difficult to control."

Lynn walked around the primitive machine, reaching out to touch the still-cold cylinders and connecting rods.

He knew that the machine was still very rudimentary and crude, and it was still inferior to the steam engines he had previously imagined. But this was Hal and his team's first attempt, and it was a crucial step "from zero to one".

"Pour water in and start a fire." Lynn wanted to see if the effect was satisfactory.

The boiler was filled with clean water, and the dry firewood piled underneath was lit.

Everyone in the shed held their breath. Martha had slipped in at some point and hid behind Lynn, her little hands clenched tightly.

Lia leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, her amber eyes fixed on the machine.

The wait felt incredibly long. The only sounds were the crackling of the firewood and the soft hum of water gradually heating up.

Finally, the simple pressure gauge on the boiler showed that the pressure had reached a lower preset value, and the boiler began to emit a low hum, with wisps of white steam coming out of the pressure relief valve.

"That's enough pressure!" Hal's voice was a little strained.

Lynn stepped forward himself, grasped the intake valve handle connected to the cylinder, and shouted to Rod, "Roll the flywheel!"

Rod pushed the heavy flywheel with all his might, making it slowly spin. Just as the flywheel reached a certain angle, Lynn seized the opportunity and suddenly flung open the intake valve!

"laugh--!"

A plume of hot white steam hissed as it rushed into the cylinder!

With a thud.

The heavy cast iron piston was suddenly pushed upward by this force, which in turn drove the connecting rod, which in turn pulled the flywheel.

The flywheel began to spin with difficulty!

The piston reciprocates inside the cylinder, and each time steam rushes in, it brings a powerful thrust.

"It moved! My lord! It really moved!"

Martha was the first to call out, and Lia, who was standing next to her, also stood up straight, her eyes filled with surprise.

Hal wiped his face hard, staring at the spinning machine, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long time. The surrounding craftsmen and apprentices began to cheer.

The steam engine was very noisy, attracting a lot of onlookers.

Lynn smiled and said, "Great! Getting things moving is the best start! Hal, Rod, you two discuss with Gorm about putting the steam engine into the mine's work schedule and then starting mass production of steam engines."

The successful development of the steam engine meant that a large amount of manpower could be freed up in the mines. Lynn planned to mass-produce it, not only for his own use but also to sell to others, thus alleviating his increasingly tense "financial problems".

Foreign trade matters also need to be put on the agenda.

Bringing his thoughts back, Lynn added, "Also, steam engines are dangerous. Hal and the others should know this. Make sure users pay attention to safety and be careful of steam burns."

"I understand, sir."

……

In the room, Lynn poured Lia a glass of soda. This half-elf was a little too obsessed with modern food, and ever since she drank soda, she had become enamored with its unique flavor.

Lynn couldn't help but find it a little funny to watch Liya sip her soda from the glass with such a satisfied and curious expression.

"Drink slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Lynn sat down opposite her, her expression turning serious. "Let's get down to business. How's the situation up north these past few days?"

Lia put down her cup, her relaxed expression quickly vanishing, her amber eyes turning serious: "This is not good, my lord. Ironstone Castle is making a big fuss."

She used her wet fingers to draw a simple direction on the wooden table:

"I found a newly built camp on the leeward side of a valley about 30 miles north of them. It was quite large, with at least 300 men. There were cavalry patrolling, and the equipment was very complete. The armor and weapons were standardized. They didn't look like Gavin's soldiers. They looked more like... a more regular army."

She paused, raised the binoculars in her hand, and added, "I took a closer look, and... the armor of those garrison troops bears the emblem of Frostfire City."

"Frostfire City?" Lynn was taken aback. "Isn't that Earl Karl's emblem?"

As mentioned in Lia's previous intelligence report, Karl had sent a considerable number of troops to Ironstone Fortress, and now he even has the spare capacity to send 300 people to garrison and set up camp.

No! This shouldn't be Count Karl's man!

Even a count's private army would generally not exceed 500! Unless the titles in this world are different from what I remember from my previous life.

Lynn quickly rejected the idea, because in his memory, Lynn Cole had about the same number of troops as the viscount in his previous life before he was exiled.

They were simply dismissed after being exiled.

Thinking of this, Lynn broke out in a cold sweat.

Good heavens, what kind of person did I offend? Am I doomed to die?

"Yes! And that's not all!" Lia's words pulled Lynn back to reality.

Lynn nearly stood up: "And that's not all?"

"more than."

Lia lowered her voice: "In a more remote mountain valley west of Ironstone Fortress, there is a small outpost. There aren't many people there, but they are very careful when they come in and out, covering their faces with cloaks. I squatted downwind for most of the day and smelled a... strange smell that I couldn't quite describe. It was a bit like rotting plants mixed with sulfur, and it smelled a bit like the red fragments I found last time."

Red fragments... a monster...

Lynn's eyes narrowed. Gavin, Carl, and even deeper, hidden forces and monsters: "Any other discoveries?"

That's all for now.