Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

Lin Tuo was jolted awake.

Each time the wheel rolled over the gravel, the back of his head slammed heavily against the hard wooden plank. He saw stars, his throat was parched and burning, and his nostrils were filled with dust, sweat, and the pungent smell of livestock.

What comes into view is a gray, flaxen canopy that sways constantly with the bumps and jolts.

"Where...am I?"

The question had barely formed in his mind when a tearing pain threatened to pry his brain open!

"Ugh!" He clutched his head and groaned.

Countless unfamiliar images and fragmented sounds kept breaking and reassembling in his mind, and memories swept over him like a tidal wave.

"Lin Tuo...Lin En...?" He remembered his name was Lin Tuo, one of the model youths of the 21st century, who rarely appeared anywhere except for work. But another memory told him that he was "Lin En Cole," a nobleman from the Dawn Empire who had long since fallen from grace.

At this moment, he was in the desolate land at the southernmost tip of the empire, on a dilapidated carriage, heading to a "territory" that might not even have a name on a map.

The image in my memory lingers in a palace: flickering candlelight in a cold court, blurred faces of disdain or pity from the crowd, an open parchment document sealed with a golden sun emblem wax seal...

As the headache subsided, fragmented memories gradually pieced together the cause.

He was stripped of his property and honor by an accusation of "inadequate preparedness." Six months earlier, a crucial outpost on the empire's northern border had fallen to monsters, and the entire garrison had been wiped out. Viscount Lynn Cole had been tasked with overseeing the transport of a shipment of special timber to repair the border wall, which arrived three days late.

Because of these three days, he was pushed forward and became the perfect sacrifice to appease the king's anger, the fortress frontline generals, and satisfy the appetites of certain political enemies.

The trial was handled so hastily, like a child's game. Evidence? No solid evidence was needed, just a "reason."

His family's long-standing friends remained silent; the relationships left behind after his father's early death had long since cooled.

The final verdict was exceptionally "magnanimous": considering the Cole family's past minor achievements, the title was revoked, but sovereignty over the wasteland in the southern border called "Gray Rock Town," which had been neglected for a century and was now blurred on maps, was retained.

They euphemistically call it: giving them one last chance to see how they perform.

In essence, it meant being exiled to death.

Let him, with only the empty title of viscount, go to that place where there is nothing but rocks, sandstorms, and potential monsters, to fend for himself. This is more "dignified" and more cruel than direct execution or imprisonment.

It will slowly erode a person's hope over time...

"I really did time travel..." The gradually clearing memories in his mind forced Lynn to accept this cruel reality.

Just then, a deep, resonant voice came from outside the carriage: "Sir, there's a situation ahead."

The voice pulled Lynn back to reality. The person speaking outside the car was his personal knight, Leon Parker, whom the original owner remembered as a stubborn young man.

The original owner had given him the opportunity to choose for himself, so he wouldn't have to come to the Southern Territory to suffer, but the kid set off with him without saying a word.

Lynn took a deep breath; the dry, bitter air stung her lungs.

"What happened?"

Lynn lifted a corner of the curtain and saw the knight Leon riding alongside the carriage window. He turned half his body towards the carriage, his other hand habitually resting on the hilt of his sword, while his gaze warily swept across a certain spot in the wasteland ahead.

"Sir, there's a group of refugees, about twenty or thirty, at the pass ahead. They're huddled in a sheltered crevice in the rocks." Leon spoke quickly, with the efficiency of a soldier: "They look like refugees fleeing from the south, but..."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "It's too quiet. There are only a few people guarding the crevice, holding...weapons."

Leon turned his head, his eyes beneath his helmet looking at Lynn: "They spotted us, but they've retreated. Sir, what should we do?"

The wind whipped up sand and gravel, which pelted the carriages with a soft, rustling sound. In the distance, the jagged shadows of the pass seemed even darker than before.

Lynn's gaze passed over Leon's shoulder and landed on the silent cliff.

Of the group of people in sight, half were women and children, who were barely clothed and shivering in the wind.

Refugees? A trap? Or just a group of pitiful people driven to desperation by the world?

Am I already going to experience something so soon after arriving here...?

He remained silent for a few seconds, his fingers unconsciously stroking the faded family ring.

"Slow down, approach slowly," Lynn finally spoke, his voice soft but clear. "Keep your distance and stop. You take two men, shields in hand, and approach them to ask questions. Tell them we are from the Cole family, just passing through, and mean no harm... Take some food and water with you."

He paused, then added, "Don't frighten the women and children..."

Leon paused, glanced at Lynn with a hint of surprise, then lowered his head slightly: "Understood."

He turned his horse around and gestured forward. The carriage slowed down noticeably, and the sound of the wheels rolling over gravel carried far across the vast wilderness.

In the shadows beneath that cliff, something seemed to move slightly.

[Ding—Leon's gratitude and approval were detected, public opinion value +3], a cold, mechanical voice suddenly appeared in Lynn's mind.

"What?" Lynn froze.

The next moment, a faint light appeared out of thin air in the lower right corner of his field of vision, quickly extending into a semi-transparent light blue screen.

In the center of the light screen, several lines of clear text appeared:

[Public Opinion Exchange Mall: Activated]

[Bound Lord: Lynn Cole]

[Territory: Grayrock Town (Not yet reached)]

Public opinion index: 3

[Basic Medical Kit *1: 50 Public Opinion Points]

[Advanced Hemostatic Bandage * 10: 30 Public Opinion Points]

[Drinking purified water (5 liters) * 1: 20 public opinion points]

[Military-grade compressed biscuits (250g) * 1: 10 public opinion points]

[Advanced Fertilizer (50kg) *1: 200 Public Opinion Points (Unlocked after accumulating 2000 Public Opinion Points)]

[Refined Iron (50kg) *1: 500 Public Opinion Points (Unlocked after accumulating 3000 Public Opinion Points)]

……

Lynn's eyes were filled with a dazzling array of goods: "This is my system?"

After resigning himself to the fact that he had been transported to this world, Lynn's biggest worry was that his meager knowledge would be of little use here. With this system, that worry finally subsided.

Before Lynn could think or try anything, the group had already reached the pass.

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and the dust it kicked up gradually settled.

Leon selected two capable attendants and dismounted. He took a small bag of rye bread and a leather water pouch from the back of the carriage and tucked them into his waistband.

"Maintain the angle of your shield, watch your step and the area above the crevice," Leon instructed in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across the overly quiet cliff like a hawk's. "If anything unexpected happens, don't hesitate to act."

The two attendants nodded, slightly adjusting the angle of their shields. The three formed a loose triangular formation and steadily walked towards the crevice.

About twenty paces away, Leon stopped, took out food and water from his waist, raised his hand and waved it slightly, his voice carrying on the wind of the wasteland:

"Men ahead, we are knights of the Cole family, and we mean no harm. This water and food are for the women and children."

There was a moment of silence in the crevice. Then, a gaunt man, his face covered in dust, timidly poked half his body out: "Knight...Sir, we...we're out..."

"Come and get it," Leon said, his eyes still alert.

The man jogged forward, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and an unnatural urgency. He extended a trembling hand:

"Thank... thank you, sir..." His voice was dry and hoarse.

In that instant, something unexpected happened!