Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

As Lia walked out of the Ocean Tavern, a night breeze blew by.

She walked east for several dozen steps and turned into a small alley.

The alley was narrow, with high walls on both sides, so the moonlight couldn't shine in; only a few dim oil lamps swayed in the wind in the distance.

She slowed her pace, and her ears twitched.

I heard footsteps behind me.

It's very light. You can't hear it at all unless you listen very carefully.

But in this tranquil environment, her unique perceptive talents as a half-elf came into play.

As Liya turned into the third alley, the sound of those two footsteps was still audible.

She slowed her pace and listened carefully.

The footsteps grew closer, about thirty paces away, one on the left and one on the right.

A smile played on Lia's lips as she glanced around at her surroundings.

This alley was narrower than the previous one, with warehouse back walls on both sides, windows boarded up, and doors locked.

The moonlight couldn't penetrate; only a dim, yellowish light shone from the distant street corner.

It's a good place.

That applies to everyone.

She stopped halfway down the alley.

"Come out," she said, without turning around.

There was a two-second silence behind me.

Then came the sound of rustling footsteps, and two dark figures emerged from around the corner, blocking the alleyway one in front and one behind.

They were the two mercenaries in the tavern.

"Hey," the one behind whistled, "You've got pretty good ears, little beauty."

Lia turned around, her hood covering her face, only her chin showing.

"Gentlemen, is there something you need?"

The mercenary in front took a step forward, grinned, and revealed a few yellowed teeth.

"Something wrong? Of course something's wrong!" He brandished the dagger in his hand.

"You were quite generous at the tavern earlier. Four silver coins, just like that. My brother and I were wondering if you had quite a few more on you, right?"

Another person chuckled from behind: "Take it out, let the rest of us get some too."

Lia's eyes, hidden under her hood, darted around, and suddenly an idea came to her.

She carefully chose her words, her voice soft and sweet: "Okay, okay, gentlemen, I'll give you the money, please don't hurt me."

"Hahaha! Little beauty, we won't hurt you!"

The mercenary in front of her looked her up and down, his gaze lingering on her before finally settling on the hood that covered her face.

"But it's dangerous for you to go home alone so late. Do you need us to take you home?"

As he spoke, a lewd smile spread across his face: "You're here to visit relatives, aren't you? Take off your hat and let us see, we might even recognize you!"

"That's right! That's right! Take it off so we can have a good look and confirm it," another mercenary chimed in.

Lia was silent for two seconds.

Then she raised her hand and pulled the hood back.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps above the alley, illuminating her face.

Her long, pale golden hair shimmered faintly in the dim light, her amber eyes were clear and bright, and her features were so exquisite that she looked like someone who had stepped out of a painting.

The two mercenaries were stunned at the same time.

The one in front had its mouth open for a long time and couldn't close it.

His gaze swept from top to bottom and then from bottom to top, across Lia's face and body, finally settling on her two slightly pointed ears.

Half-elf!

He couldn't help but swallow, his desire intensifying.

"Holy shit..." the person in the back muttered, "Is this...is this a human or...?"

"Shut up!" the mercenary in front interrupted him, but his eyes never left Lia's face.

He took a step forward, grinned, revealing his yellow teeth. His smile carried a nauseating obsequiousness, mixed with an undisguised greed.

"Little beauty, you...you're really..." He rubbed his hands together, unsure of the best word: "Really rare."

Another one came around from behind and stood to Lia's side and behind her, his eyes also fixed on her.

"That hair, those eyes... Damn, I've been in the capital for five years and I've never seen anything like this."

His gaze swept around, and he also noticed the unusual features of Lia's ears.

"An elf?! No, a half-elf! Holy crap! No wonder she's so beautiful!"

This is a "rare find"; they've been in the business for most of their lives, but they've never encountered such a gem.

The two exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly at each other.

Lia looked at them with just the right amount of fear on her face—her eyes widened slightly, she shrank back, and her fingers gripped the hem of her clothes.

"Brothers," her voice trembled slightly, "I'll give you the money, please let me go?"

"Money?" The mercenary in front brandished his dagger, his smile growing even more grotesque. "Money, of course, is fine, but the person..."

He took another step forward, and was now only three or four steps away from Lia.

"My little beauty, it's so late, it's dangerous for you to be out alone." He lowered his voice, as if coaxing a child.

"How about we find a place to sit and chat with our brothers, then head back at dawn?"

The person behind them chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, we're not bad people, we just want to be friends with you."

Lia took a step back, her back against the wall.

"No..." she whispered, "This is the capital, there are patrols... What if we get seen... Aren't you afraid?"

The two mercenaries laughed at the same time.

"Patrol team?" The man in front slapped his thigh with a laugh. "Little beauty, you're from the countryside, aren't you?"

The one behind him leaned in, looking smug: "In the past, we would definitely have been scared."

"Do you know what kind of chaos the capital is in right now? His Majesty hasn't attended court for months, and even the important figures can't take care of themselves, so who's going to manage the patrols?"

"Exactly," the man in front chimed in, "The patrol team is lucky to even have half a man left these days, how can they possibly have time to deal with alleys like ours?"

Leah blinked: "Really?"

"Why would I lie to you!" The one behind leaned against the wall and crossed his legs: "Last month, a grocery store in the East District was robbed, and the patrol didn't arrive until the next day. By then, the owner's body was already stiff. A few days ago, there was a brawl near the West Gate, and three people died, but nobody did anything about it."

He chuckled and moved closer to Liya, but still kept three or four steps away.

"So, little beauty, tonight you can scream your lungs out, but no one will—"

"That's great," Lia suddenly said, her tone completely different.

The two mercenaries were both taken aback.

"What?"

The fear on Lia's face disappeared.

Instead, a very faint smile appeared.

If Lynn were here, she would recognize that this is Lia's "signature fake smile".

"I said," she said, emphasizing each word, "that's wonderful."

The two mercenaries exchanged a glance, and before they could react, they saw the half-elf girl stand up straight, cross her arms, and tilt her head to look at them.

"Brothers," her voice was still soft, but her tone was like a frozen river, "you want my money? And you want me, don't you?"

The mercenary in front instinctively gripped his dagger tighter: "What...what do you mean?"

"It means..." Lia took out her money pouch from her bosom and tossed it lightly in her hand: "The money is here."

The silver coins jingled in the bag.

She then took a step forward, her smile widening: "The person is right here too. If you catch me, the money and the person are both yours."

"Want it? Come and grab me if you do."

The two mercenaries couldn't help but stare at the money pouch in Lia's hand.

The other person's demeanor changed drastically, making the two of them vaguely feel that something was wrong, but after years of experience, they were not about to be intimidated by a young girl.

"You dare to play me!"

The mercenaries in front took the initiative and rushed forward in one stride.

The dagger in his hand was aimed straight at Lia's shoulder.

He didn't strike directly at her vitals; her attitude infuriated him. He planned to subdue her first, then play with her slowly.

Then his vision blurred.

The dagger missed its mark.

The half-elf with pale golden hair somehow veered off course by half a foot, and his dagger grazed her sleeve without touching a single hair.

"Too slow," Lia said softly.

Before the mercenary could react, he felt a chill on his wrist.

He looked down and saw that he was still holding the dagger in his hand, but there was a thin line of blood on his wrist.

Fresh blood gushed out.

The dagger clattered to the ground.

"ah--!"

The scream had barely left his lips when Leah's knee slammed into his abdomen. The mercenary curled up like a shrimp, kneeling on the ground, vomiting bile.

The person behind was stunned.

It all happened so fast—from the moment his companion rushed forward to the moment he knelt and screamed in agony, it was only a matter of blinking an eye.

"You fucking—"

He pulled a short knife from his waist, but didn't dare to charge. He looked at Lia, then at his companion on the ground clutching his stomach and groaning, and suddenly realized something:

This half-elf barely moved a step throughout the entire process.

"Who...who exactly are you?"

Lia ignored him.

She looked down at the mercenary kneeling at her feet, her face still bearing that faint smile.

"You just told me that the patrol team is currently unsupervised, right?"

The mercenary was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, and could only nod frantically.

"That's good," Lia said. "That way, if I kill you all, no one will care, right?"

The mercenary's eyes widened suddenly.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Lia had already crouched down, a short knife pressed against his neck.

"I have a question for you."

The mercenary trembled, tears and snot streaming down his face: "Don't...don't kill me! Ask me anything!"

"Do any of you people have... a place that specializes in selling inside information?"

The mercenary paused for a moment, then quickly said, "Yes! Yes! There's a guy called 'Mole' near the old docks in the East District who specializes in collecting and selling information! Many people in the tavern are his subordinates!"

"How did we find him?"

"He goes to the Ocean Tavern every night in the wee hours, wearing a gray robe, and he's missing two fingers on his left hand—he's easy to recognize!"

Lia nodded.

"I...I already said, could you...?"

A flash of light.

The mercenary stared wide-eyed, then collapsed to the ground.

Lia stood up and looked at the last one remaining in the depths of the alley.

The guy had already retreated more than ten steps when he turned and ran.

They run incredibly fast.

Lia didn't chase after them. She bent down, picked up a fist-sized pebble from the ground, and weighed it in her hand.

Then throw it out.

The pebble flew in an arc and hit the guy precisely on the back of the head.

The man collapsed with a thud, hitting his face down on the ground, his mouth full of blood. He struggled to get up, but his head was spinning and his limbs wouldn't obey him.

Lia walked over and squatted down beside him.

"Why are you running?"

The man rolled over, his face covered in blood, his eyes filled with terror.

"No, please don't kill me...please..."

Lia tilted her head to look at him.

"What were you trying to do just now?"

The guy opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"They wanted to steal my money, they wanted to sleep with me." Leah's voice was calm: "In all my years, three people have tried to do that to me..."

Leah smiled again: "They're all dead!"

The guy was trembling all over, and his crotch was soaked.

"I...I didn't do anything! I just followed along! He paid for everything..."

Before the other person could finish speaking, Lia's knife had already slashed across his throat.

There was no time to listen to their rambling. The other members of the intelligence department should have all returned to the base. If she didn't go back soon, they would worry.

After wiping the blood off the knife onto the other person's clothes, Lia carefully put the knife away.

This was given to her by Lynn, who said it was made of titanium alloy and was of top quality.

Lia didn't really remember much of Lynn's messy explanations and descriptions.

All she remembered was that it was a gift from Lynn, and like the telescope, she wanted to cherish it.

Leah got up, ignoring the corpses on the ground, and walked towards the base...