Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

"Let's do it!"

A roar erupted from the crevice in the rock. The gaunt man who was scouting ahead turned fierce, a dagger slipped from his sleeve, and he gripped it in his hand, thrusting it towards his chest!

Leon seemed to have anticipated this, and his left hand sank the water pouch downwards.

"Plop!" The dagger pierced the water bag, and water gushed out.

With a slight movement of his right hand gripping the sword, the sword flashed and was drawn from its sheath in the next instant.

The man screamed and fell to the ground clutching his wrist, the dagger falling to the ground along with his hand.

From inside and outside the crevice, seven figures rushed out with a roar, wildly slashing at Leon with knives and axes.

Leon sidestepped an axe blow, the spine of his sword striking the opponent's wrist, sending the axe to the ground. He parried the side slash with a backhand strike, then kicked another man in the back of the knee with a cracking sound. In his hands, the sword became an iron whip, not used for killing blows, but only for striking joints, wrists, and sweeping the lower body.

The two attendants struck each other with their shields and swords, producing a series of muffled thuds.

Within five or six breaths, all seven bandits lay on the ground, clutching their arms and legs, writhing in pain, their weapons scattered everywhere. The last one-eyed leader, who tried to escape, was overtaken by Leon, who slammed his sword hilt against the back of his neck, and he collapsed to the ground without even uttering a sound.

Leon's breathing became slightly erratic. He flicked a drop of blood from his sword and sheathed it. He turned to the carriage and said in a deep voice, "My lord, all eight bandits have been subdued."

Lynn stepped down from the carriage. He first looked at the bandits lying haphazardly on the ground, and finally his gaze fell on the group of trembling women and children and the deep crevice in the rock.

From deep within the rock crevices, a suppressed sob finally emerged. Dozens of refugees, bound and huddled in the shadows, witnessed this brief crushing.

"Leon," he spoke, his voice clear in the wasteland wind, "tie them up, then wake the leader. I have questions for you."

A bucket of cold water was poured over him, and the one-eyed leader choked awake, struggling only to find himself tightly bound. He looked up and met Lynn's calm gaze.

"Name?" Lynn asked.

"...Grey Rat." The leader spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes gleaming.

"Grey Rats," Lynn repeated. "Whose men are they? How long have they been lying in ambush? Besides you, do they have any accomplices around here?"

Gray Rat glanced at Leon's hand on the hilt of his sword, his Adam's apple bobbing: "No...nobody's people, just a few of us trying to make a living...we've been lying in ambush for two days, who else could be in this godforsaken place?"

Lynn stared at him for a few seconds, then turned to the crevice in the rock and said, "Untie everyone inside. Bring someone who understands to talk to us."

A moment later, an elderly man with gray hair and wounds on his face was brought before him. He knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face, and said:

"Master...Master, spare us! We're all from Blackwater Village in the south. Our village was destroyed by demons, and we were fleeing when we were captured by these damned bastards...They tied up all the men and wouldn't let us fight back. The girls..."

The old man became increasingly agitated as he spoke, gradually becoming incoherent, his words a mixture of fear and indignation.

Behind him, a young woman, whose body had been untied, kept her head bowed, her body wrapped tightly in tattered burlap. Obvious bruises and old wounds were visible on her bare arms and calves.

Lynn listened in silence, standing motionless like a statue. After a long while, he took a deep breath, turned to the gray rat, and slowly said:

"Now, you have a way out. Leave all your money and I won't kill you." The voice was low and hoarse, devoid of emotion.

The gray mouse was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Yes, sir! We're willing to take the money! We're willing to take the money!!"

"Leon," his voice remained steady, "search them. Hand over their money, weapons, anything of value."

Leon accepted the order and, along with his entourage, swiftly began the search. Soon, a small pile of stained silver and copper coins, a few pieces of inferior jewelry, and several relatively intact daggers were found at Lynn's feet.

Lynn bent down and picked up a few silver coins, weighing them in his hand. The metal was cold; they were the kingdom's "Dawn Silver Coins." He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the group of refugees. The old man and several young men's lips moved, a complex expression in their eyes, but in the end, they remained silent.

"Is everything here?" Lynn asked Leon.

"It's all here, sir." Leon lowered his head, his expression unreadable.

Lynn tossed the silver coins back into the pile of valuables, waved to Gray Rat and the others, and said calmly:

"Kill him."

Two words, clear and concise.

The sliver of hope on the gray rat's face froze instantly, turning into boundless terror: "No! Master! You said you wouldn't kill us! You can't..."

Before he could finish speaking...

"Clang!"

Leon's sword was already drawn, its cold light flashing like a bolt of lightning. The cries for mercy, the curses, the incredulous groans, all came to an abrupt end with a few short, crisp cutting sounds.

Only the howling wind whistling through the cracks in the rocks and the deathly silence of the refugees holding their breath in the distance remained on the desolate plain.

The old man suddenly lowered his head, his body trembling slightly. The young men also hurriedly looked away, their faces pale, barely daring to breathe. They stared at the several bandit corpses that were rapidly losing their life, then stole glances at the young lord standing beside the bodies, his expression unchanged, their eyes filled with unprecedented awe and a hint of fear.

"I said I wouldn't kill you, not that I wouldn't let others kill you."

Lynn's face remained calm. This was the first time he had seen a corpse, and also the first time he had "indirectly killed someone," but he felt little emotional. After hearing the old man's cries and the woman's accusations against the thieves, Lynn felt that not killing them would be against his conscience.

Images of peaceful streets, a sound legal system, and the most basic anger of an ordinary person towards "evil" flashed through my mind. But before me was the naked "evil" of this other world, the ruthless bullying of the weak. Kidnapping, coercion, humiliation, murder… even women and children were merely bait and shields used to lure the weaker…

Lynn didn't look at the blood on the ground anymore. He bent down, picked up the bag of blood-stained silver coins, weighed it in his hand, and then walked towards the group of refugees, handing the bag to the trembling old man:

"If you have nowhere to go, why not come with us to Grayrock Town? I am Lynn Cole, the lord there. I dare not promise you a life of luxury, but in my territory, you will at least be well-fed and clothed, and no one will bully you anymore."

He turned and walked toward the carriage, his shadow elongated in the dim light of the day. Behind him lay the still-warm corpses and a group of refugees who had finally begun to sob softly, as if daring to release their emotions for the first time.

Although he didn't know the situation in Grayrock Town, Lynn, who owned the Popularity Points Exchange Shop, had plenty of confidence in the new territory.

The refugees agreed almost without hesitation. The outside world was a cannibalistic place, and rather than risk their lives to seek survival in the north, they preferred to follow this lord to his territory. At least in their current view, Lord Lynn's actions did not seem like those of a bad person.

[Ada, Joel, Mason... gratitude detected, public opinion +74]

[Respect for Leon detected, public opinion score +5]

Seeing the constantly popping-up images in front of him, Lynn murmured:

"Gray Rock Town, here I come..."