Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

More than ten days have passed since Lynn returned from Ironstone Castle, and life in both territories is progressing smoothly.

The basic framework of the city hall has been set up.

Above the door of the large house at the east end of the craftsmen's quarters hangs a wooden plaque with the words "Grey Rock Town City Hall" written by Lynn himself—the handwriting isn't particularly beautiful, but it's still quite neat.

Every morning, Joel and the others would come here to handle their respective tasks.

Although there were times when things got hectic or repetitive, at least there was a fixed place to work and some basic records and procedures.

Ivan's lab produced its first results: saltpeter purified by recrystallization three times, with a purity he estimated to be 85%.

Trial production of granulated gunpowder has also begun. Although the first batch of granules produced was uneven in size and the burning speed was unstable, the direction was correct.

Lynn visited twice and gave some advice—regarding humidity control, screen mesh size, and drying temperature.

Ivan absorbed this knowledge like a sponge, and the laboratory lights often stayed on until the wee hours of the morning.

From Ironstone Fortress, Roland sends a report once a week.

The details are very detailed: how much wasteland was newly reclaimed, how many potatoes were planted, how many blocked irrigation ditches were cleared, and how many neighborhood disputes were resolved.

You can tell he's trying hard to keep his promise—to walk every street and talk to as many people as possible.

The report always ends with a few sentences about the "community's reaction": some people have started to ask about the payment method, some have expressed a desire to learn the composting technology from Greyrock Township, and some are still observing, but at least they are no longer avoiding the people in charge.

Everything is developing in a good direction.

Until noon that day, Lynn was discussing summer crop rotation arrangements with Joel at the city hall when a soldier ran over.

"My lord, a group of people have arrived outside the town."

Lynn and Joel exchanged a glance.

"Let's go take a look."

Outside the town gate, a caravan was slowly approaching.

The procession was quite large, consisting of more than twenty horse-drawn carriages pulled by well-fed and strong horses with glossy coats.

The caravan was escorted by more than thirty guards, all dressed in uniform leather armor, with long swords at their waists and bows on their horses.

The guards acted very professionally, stopping a hundred paces from the town gate and sending a rider forward to negotiate.

He was a middle-aged man around forty years old, with a thin face, a meticulously trimmed short beard, and wearing a dark blue cotton robe with a leather vest over it.

A bulging leather bag hung beside his saddle.

"Excuse me," the middle-aged man reined in his horse before the town gate, his voice slightly high-pitched but still polite, "Is this Grayrock Town? Is Lord Lynn Cole here?"

Leon had already led a squad of musketeers to line up inside the gate.

Lynn stepped forward: "I am Lynn."

The middle-aged man immediately dismounted and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Lord. I am Sig, the manager of the Silver Oak Merchant Guild. We come from the capital of Dawn, having heard that Grayrock Town has some...unique local products, and have come to visit and see if there are any opportunities for cooperation."

Sig's gaze swept quickly over the concrete walls of Grayrock Town, a hint of undisguised amazement flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, a friendly smile befitting a businessman.

"Silver Oak Trading Company..." Lynn searched his memory for the name.

This is one of the largest trading companies in the Southern Territory. It has a clean background and mainly deals in grain, cloth, and metal. It generally does not deal in contraband and has a good reputation.

A chamber of commerce actually came to a godforsaken place like this? Could they have really made a special trip just for Grayrock Town?

It seems there's been quite a stir in Grayrock Town lately; some of the news has even reached the capital...

"Welcome." Without further thought, Lynn stepped aside. "Please come in. The guards can rest at the camp outside town; we'll provide water and fodder."

"Thank you, sir." Sig turned and gestured towards the convoy. The guards began unloading the wagons and setting up a temporary camp, their movements practiced and orderly.

Sieg only brought two assistants with him as he followed Lynn into Grayrock Town.

Upon entering the town, Sig's gaze became even busier.

The smooth cement streets, the neat brick houses on both sides, the workshops with smoke rising in the distance, and the simple but clean and intact clothes on the pedestrians on the road—all of this was completely different from the other territories he passed through.

Those places were either dilapidated or only the lord's castle was gleaming, while the commoners' quarters were dirty and crowded.

Just as rumored.

Just a few months ago, this gray rock town was a small, run-down village with a few dozen scattered residents. Forget about development; most people were struggling to make ends meet every day.

Since the arrival of this lord named Lynn, in less than two months, the town has taken shape and resembles a territory.

Furthermore, rumors circulated that Gavin Hossman of Ironstone Castle, for some unknown reason, attempted to attack Grayrock Town, but ended up being captured instead. Ironstone Castle officially changed hands.

This Lynn Cole is no ordinary man!

But according to my intelligence, he was clearly a dissolute nobleman who had been exiled...

A glint flashed in Sieg's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged, and he remained calm and composed.

"Your Excellency governs well," Sig said sincerely. "I've traveled through more than a dozen territories in the Southern Border, and Grayrock Town is among the top three in terms of cleanliness."

"Just getting started," Lynn replied formally, ignoring the compliment and asking directly, "Mr. Sig, you've come all this way, what local specialties would you like to see?"

Sieg laughed: "Sir, you're very straightforward. Well then, I'll be frank too—we've heard that Grayrock Town has three very special things: first, the cement used to build walls and roads; second, a 'miracle drug' that can cure fever and infections; and third, a type of instant food called instant noodles. If it's convenient, I'd like to see them for myself and discuss the price."

Lynn nodded and led him to the warehouse area first.

The cement is the simplest to display.

Joel had several cement bricks with different curing periods brought over, ranging from those that had just hardened to those that had been curing for more than ten days.

Sieg squatted down to examine it carefully, tapping it with his hand, and then had his assistant gently tap it with a small hammer he carried with him.

"The hardness is quite good," Sieg said. "And the surface is smooth, and the dimensions are uniform. Can this be mass-produced?"

"Currently, the monthly production capacity is around 100 bags, with each bag weighing 50 kilograms."

Lynn lied; in reality, these were all made from cement powder obtained from the exchange shop: "One bag of mixed mortar can pave about eight square meters of road or build half a wall."

Sieg quickly calculated in his mind: "What about the price?"

"A bag of thirty silver coins," Lynn said.

The cost of the product is zero, but because it concerns public opinion, Lynn doesn't plan to sell too much or too cheaply.

Since this was a monopolized commodity, exclusively supplied to Lynn, he believed that the other party would definitely accept the price.

He wasn't afraid that the other party would buy it back and let the alchemist deduce the formula. This world might be able to make a substitute formula for cement powder, but it would definitely not be as good as Lynn's.

Lynn was confident: anything from the store is guaranteed to be of the highest quality!

Sieg frowned; the item was a bit pricey.

Although this price is much higher than that of stone, the strength is sufficient and it is easy to transport—cement is in powder form, stored in buckets, and can be mixed with water at the destination.

Most importantly, Sieg is confident that he can figure out the formula. The Silver Oak Merchant Guild is wealthy and powerful, and it has quite a few alchemists.

What he didn't know was that Lynn had already guessed his thoughts, and he wasn't afraid of the other party deducing the formula at all.

But Sieg wouldn't just buy one bag; that would be tantamount to openly researching the formula.

He didn't want this to affect the trade relationship between the two sides. The other party had a lot of good products, and given the current development, there might be even more in the future. Besides, he had to maintain appearances.

"Okay! I'll take a hundred bags first!" Sieg decided on the spot.

One hundred bags... that's enough for a whole month right off the bat...

But this is a false figure that Lynn fabricated.

One bag of high-grade cement powder costs 100 public opinion points. One hundred bags—wouldn't that drain Lynn's pockets? Plus, there's another order from Lehman Brothers…

Lynn quickly came up with an idea and said, "No problem."

He decided to replace the high-grade cement powder with a lower-quality one, which would solve the problem. The composition wouldn't be too different anyway, and it would be more than enough to achieve a dimensional reduction attack in this world.

Next came the medicine.

Herbert led them to the medical ward.

Sieg was visibly taken aback when he saw the white pills in the glass bottles.

"This...is that kind of miracle drug?"

"We call it amoxicillin." Herbert carefully opened a bottle and poured out two tablets. "It's effective for fever and wound infections. But it must be taken according to the dosage; an overdose is harmful."

Sieg picked up a piece and held it up to the light.

The pills are exquisitely crafted with smooth edges and engravings to make them easy to break open.

"How can we prove it works?"

Herbert was prepared.

He called over an apprentice—the young man had injured his leg in the mine two weeks earlier; the wound had become infected and he had a high fever. He used amoxicillin to clean the wound, and the fever subsided in three days.

The apprentice lifted his trouser leg; the wound had already scabbed over, leaving only a patch of pink new flesh.

Sieg crouched down to examine it closely, asked the apprentice a few more questions, and finally stood up, his expression solemn: "This medicine... can it be mass-produced?"

"Current production is limited," Lynn continued. "The collection and purification of raw materials are quite time-consuming. We can only provide a maximum of ten bottles per month, with twenty tablets per bottle."

This time, Lynn learned her lesson and didn't dare report too much.

"I'll take them all," Sieg said without hesitation. "You set the price."

Lynn was somewhat surprised by this decisiveness. He considered it for a moment and said, "This medicine will be a bit expensive, one gold coin per bottle."

Unlike those who hesitated to buy cement, Sieg smiled:

"My lord, you are too modest. In the capital, nobles are willing to pay ten gold coins for a bottle of this life-saving medicine. I will buy it at two pills per bottle, but I demand exclusive distribution rights—at least in the capital."

Lynn thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay. But the supplies for Grayrock Town and Ironstone Castle must be guaranteed."

"certainly."

"So next, we should go take a look at that food called instant noodles."

Having closed two deals in a row, Sieg was in a great mood and couldn't wait to see more amazing items.

"No rush, Mr. Sig. It's lunchtime now, why don't you come to my place for a casual meal, and we can discuss things at our leisure?"

Lynn suggested, equally pleased.

He could tell that the other party was someone who didn't lack money, and Lynn was already somewhat dissatisfied with just pushing the three things the other party wanted.

"Very well, then I shall accept your offer, Lord Lynn."

Sieg smiled and agreed.