Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

The two left the bustling square and walked through the cold, damp stone corridors inside the castle.

Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.

Leon was leading his men to check each room one by one. Shouts and the sounds of moving things could be heard in the distance, but the road leading to the depths of the castle was quiet for the time being.

"How do you feel?" Lynn asked, his voice low in the corridor. "Back here."

Lia was silent for a moment, then unconsciously kicked a loose stone slab on the ground with her toe.

"It's a bit... strange. I used to think this place was huge and terrifying, like a stone cage from which I could never escape. Now, it just looks like... a pile of old stones."

She paused, then lowered her voice: "But there are some places I still don't want to go."

For example, the dungeon. Lynn understood.

This girl really has a lot on her mind.

Instead of going to the dungeon first, they turned towards the warehouse area on one side of the castle.

The heavy oak door was opened, revealing a lot of things piled up inside, but they were so neatly arranged that it was almost excessive, or rather, it was...spacious.

The grain consisted of only a few dozen sacks of aged rye and beans, the cloth was mostly rough linen, and some rusty farm tools and weapons were piled in a corner.

Most conspicuous were several large chests against the wall. Inside, neatly stacked, were a considerable quantity of Dawn silver and copper coins of good quality, likely part of Gavin's years of plunder and support from Karl. Beside them were some ledgers and parchment scrolls.

"It seems he has devoted most of his resources to the army and this offensive."

Lynn flipped through the ledgers, which recorded the recent transfers of bulk commodities such as grain and iron: "The warehouse is cleaner than I expected."

This means that they will face considerable food pressure as soon as they take over.

Leah wasn't particularly interested in the coins and ledgers; her gaze fell on an inconspicuous little iron box.

The box wasn't locked, so she opened it casually. Inside were some odds and ends:

Several old badges of different styles, a dagger inlaid with small, low-quality gemstones, and... an old hairband that was badly faded but still vaguely showed elven-style patterns.

Her fingers touched the hairband, then she jerked back, her face turning pale instantly.

Lynn noticed her unusual behavior, closed the ledger, and came over.

"What's wrong?"

Lia stared at the hairband, her lips pressed tightly together, her amber eyes swirling with painful memories and a deep-seated longing that she herself might not even be fully aware of.

After a long while, she spoke in a low, hoarse voice, almost to herself:

"My mother... had a similar one too. She knitted it. Elves have very skillful hands; the things they knit are especially beautiful and also very... easy to recognize."

This was the first time she had proactively mentioned her real family.

Lynn didn't urge him, but just stood there quietly.

"My father... was a human merchant who ran the trade route between the Southern Territory and the Western countries."

Lia's voice was broken and intermittent, as if she was trying to dig out memories that she had deliberately buried:

"My mother... was an elf. It is said that she was attacked by a horde of monsters while traveling and was rescued by my father's party. Later... they got together and I was born."

Her fingers curled up, as if she was deliberately suppressing her emotions.

"When I was little, my family was actually... alright. My father was in business, and my mother took care of me, taught me to recognize plants, look at the stars, and had a little... fairy magic. We were all very happy back then."

She omitted the specifics of the magic, which Lynn guessed might be related to her keen intuition or some other talent.

"But later, it seemed like my father's business ran into trouble. I don't know the specifics, but I remember he started staying away from home frequently, and when he did come back, he was always drunk and had a bad temper. Then... someone came to our door and said that my father owed a large amount of gambling debts."

Lia's voice began to tremble: "Those people... they're thugs hired by another powerful merchant guild in this territory. They've got their eyes on me and my mother. A pure-blooded elf, a half-elf girl... they're worth a lot on the black market. My father... he..."

She choked up, trying hard to suppress the sobs rising in her throat.

"To pay off his debts and try to make a comeback... he sold my mother and me. He lied to us, saying he would take us to a safe place to hide from his creditors."

Lynn listened quietly; the other person's experience was like a medieval drama, classic and full of tragedy.

"Mother realized something was wrong. She...she knew a little bit of natural magic, not much, but enough to cause some chaos."

Lia seemed to have found someone to confide in, and she kept talking.

"She told me to run, and she held off those people... I ran and hid in the mountains. Later I heard that my mother seemed to be injured, but she still managed to escape and disappeared into the western forest. As for me... I was captured by another group of people, passed around several times, and finally ended up here with Gavin."

She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling: "From that moment on, I knew that I couldn't rely on anyone. The only one I could rely on was myself..."

That's why she was so wary of the nobility's "goodwill," and even instinctively rejected it.

That's why she always finds opportunities to rebel, not only because of hatred, but also because of the keen sense of danger and adaptability to the environment that comes from her elven bloodline.

And the elven magic her mother taught her.

Lynn silently processed this story, which was even more brutal than she had known before.

Betrayed by her own father, her mother's fate unknown, and reduced to a plaything-like slave... No wonder she deliberately obscured the beginning of her story.

"You want to go find her, don't you?" Lynn asked calmly.

"Go to where the elves live, to find your mother?"

Lia opened her eyes, her eyes were a little red, but she tried hard not to let the tears fall.

She nodded, then shook her head, her smile bitter. "I want to. I dream about it. But I don't even know which elven tribe my mother belonged to. The western forests are so vast, and the elven cities...aren't friendly to humans. I'm not even sure if my mother is still alive..."

She didn't say the word "at".

"Then let's take our time looking," Lynn said confidently.

"Once things stabilize in Grayrock Town and Ironstone Fortress, we can send people to the towns on the western border to gather information and collect rumors about the migration or reappearance of the elven tribes. We can also try to contact the traveling merchants or adventurers who travel between human and elven territories. There will always be some clues."

Lia looked up at him abruptly, her amber eyes filled with disbelief and a glimmer of cautious, almost skeptical hope.

"You...you're willing to help me?"

"You are a citizen of my Gray Rock Town, and a meritorious official."

Lynn smiled and said, "Isn't it the least I can do to help you find your family? Besides, having more friends means having more options. Who knows, we might even have to deal with elves in the future."

He didn't lie to Lia. He didn't intend to stop at this small southern territory, or even just the Dawn Empire, in order to establish himself in this world.

Lia stared at him blankly for a long time, as if trying to find any trace of hypocrisy or perfunctoriness on his face.

But all she saw was the other person's calm honesty.

The place in Lia's chest that had been frozen for so long seemed to have a crack pried open by these calm yet powerful words.

My nose feels a little sore.

Lia quickly lowered her head and mumbled an "Mmm," but her fingers secretly clenched the hem of her clothes.

"Let's go check the dungeon and mine records."

Lynn changed the subject at the right moment, gently placed the elf hairband back into the iron box, and closed the lid.

"Gavin's territory has changed hands, but we have to clean up the mess he left behind."

For the next inventory check, Lynn brought his subordinates who were in charge of the check.

Lia's emotions had stabilized considerably, and she even offered some information about Ironstone Castle from her memories.

The dungeon was indeed one of the places Lia least wanted to remember.

It was gloomy, damp, and reeked of an indescribable stench.

There weren't many people imprisoned inside. Apart from two farmers who had offended someone, the other seven or eight were ragged, listless slaves, including men and women, and even a small, thin child.

Upon seeing Lynn and Lia, they simply huddled together in terror.

Lynn ordered all the cell doors to be opened immediately and announced the decision to abolish slavery.

At that moment, there was a deathly silence in the dungeon, followed by incredulous weeping and sobbing.

The small, thin child stared blankly at the opened gate, then burst into tears.

"Register their names, places of origin, and skills. Those who wish to stay will be given jobs as free citizens. Those who want to go home will be given some travel expenses."

Lynn instructed his subordinates that this was a considerable human resource and a heavy responsibility.

The mine records were found in the castle's study.

Ironstone Fortress does indeed possess a small iron mine and a associated copper mine, but its mining efficiency is low, its equipment is outdated, and most of its miners are conscripted laborers or slaves with very poor motivation, resulting in consistently low output.

This is one of the reasons why Canada, despite having abundant mineral resources, does not possess sophisticated weaponry.

The record also mentions that there are suspected sulfur veins in the nearby mountains, but Gavin never seriously explored or developed them.

The uses of sulfur were too limited for Gavin.

This was good news for Lynn.

Iron and copper mines are the lifeblood of industry, and sulfur is key to gunpowder. With a stable source of minerals, many projects can be accelerated.

In addition, the inventory also revealed that there were still more than twenty warhorses and packhorses in the castle stables. Although the granary was empty, there was a lot of ordinary wine stored in the cellar. The castle armory also had some spears, swords and leather armor in stock. Although the quality varied, they would be enough to arm more militiamen after repair.

Perhaps the most important finds were the account books and maps.

They clearly indicate the location, population, main arable land, and tax revenue of several villages under the jurisdiction of Tieshibao, as well as the distribution of mines, forest farms, and water sources.

With these, the takeover and governance have a basis.

It was already afternoon when we left the main building of the castle.

The slanting sunlight cast a warm hue over the cold stone.

In the square, Leon was leading his men to register the citizens of Ironstone Castle and distribute a small portion of grain that had been urgently transported from Grayrock Town. Although the scene was noisy, it was orderly.

Lia followed behind Lynn, looking at the completely different scene before her, and suddenly whispered, "My lord, you really are... very different."

"What's different?" Lynn asked casually.

"I can't quite put my finger on it," Lia thought for a moment.

"I just feel... following you, it seems like I can really see a different way of living. Before, I felt that there was no difference between living and dying; if I lived, I would go to find my mother, and if I died, I would be far away from this painful world. Now..."

She didn't finish speaking, but her eyes lit up.

Lynn smiled but didn't reply, instead gazing at the rolling mountains to the west.

Is the homeland of the elves in that direction? Helping Lia find her mother might be more than just a promise.

That mysterious elven bloodline, what's hidden behind the Cole family, and Karl and the even larger shadow behind him...

The waters of this world seem to be much deeper than he had imagined when he first arrived.

But at least now, he has two territories under his feet, some power in his hands, and some trustworthy people around him.