Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

Around noon, Lynn led Sieg back to the lord's castle.

After instructing Martha to prepare her favorite hot pot set meal for the guests, Martha busied herself with the task with great enthusiasm.

In no time, the long table was covered with a dense array of ingredients.

Martha went to great lengths, preparing a deluxe hot pot plus version for Sieg, which was much better than what she usually ate.

Looking at the dazzling array of ingredients on the table, many of which he had never seen before, Sieg was somewhat stunned.

"Um... Lord..." he began, pointing to the copper pot in the center of the table.

"How...how should we eat these?"

"This is called hot pot." Lynn gestured for Sig to sit down at the long table, and Martha had already lit the charcoal stove under the copper pot.

"The pot contains beef bone broth, seasoned with special spices from Grayrock Town. These ingredients—"

He pointed to the array of plates on the table: "These are all for dipping in hot pot."

Sig looked at the ingredients on the table.

Some of them he recognized: thinly sliced ​​mutton and beef, washed vegetable leaves, and soaked mushrooms.

But there were many more unfamiliar things: instant noodle cakes, round meatballs, potato slices, and small dishes of sauces—sesame paste, minced garlic, chili oil…

"Try this first."

Lynn picked up a slice of mutton, dipped it in the boiling broth for three to five seconds until it changed color and curled up, then scooped it out, dipped it in the sesame sauce, and put it in his mouth.

Sig imitated him.

The tender mutton melted in his mouth, blending with the rich aroma of sesame sauce, and his eyes lit up: "This flavor... is very special."

"This is the dipping sauce." Lynn picked up another meatball and put it into the pot. "The meatballs need to cook a little longer, until they float to the surface."

After the meatballs were cooked, Sieg carefully took a bite.

The outer layer is chewy, the inside is juicy, and it has a unique umami flavor that he can't quite describe.

"What's added to this?"

"A little fish paste, and some special seasoning powder," Lynn said mysteriously. "It's an exclusive recipe from Grayrock Town."

Next up were potato chips.

The potatoes, cooked until soft and soaked in broth, were dipped in minced garlic and chili oil. Sieg ate until his forehead was sweating, but he couldn't stop eating.

"What...is this tuber?"

"Potatoes. One of the staple foods of Grayrock Town," Lynn said. "They're high-yielding, store well, and can be prepared in many ways. The instant noodles you saw earlier also have potato starch mixed in, making them even chewier."

Lynn pointed to the yellow noodles on the table: "This is the instant noodles you've heard about."

Lynn asked Martha to bring over an unopened package.

Sieg examined it closely: the packaging was unlike anything he had ever seen before, with a simple picture of a bowl and chopsticks on the front and instructions on how to use it on the back.

After opening the package, the flatbread was golden brown, and there were three small paper packets containing powder, oil, and dried vegetables.

"Actually, cooking it in a pot like we do is the best way to eat it, but the biggest advantage of instant noodles is their 'convenience'—they are easy to store and carry."

"It only needs to soak in hot water for three minutes before eating," Lynn said. "That's the basic version. Actually, there's an upgraded version—like this one."

He asked Martha to bring out another type of packaging: "It has dehydrated meat chunks and egg drop soup added. It's 30% more expensive, but it's more suitable for long-distance caravans and has more complete nutrition."

Sieg was somewhat stunned: "Lord Lynn...you're not going to tell me again that this thing is just mass-produced casually, are you...?"

"certainly!"

Lynn was full of confidence; he wouldn't have been so confident about the cement and medicine he had made before.

But the value of this thing in terms of public opinion is so low that it is almost negligible.

If it weren't for the need to win over the people and the fact that this stuff doesn't keep you full, Lynn would have just eaten instant noodles as his main meal when he first arrived in Grayrock Town.

"Currently, we produce around 300 packs per month," Lynn reported a figure. Although instant noodles aren't expensive, he couldn't just make up a number off the top of his head. "If orders are stable, we can expand production to 500 packs. The basic version is 5 copper coins per pack, and the upgraded version is 7 copper coins per pack."

Sieg quickly calculated in his mind.

If transported to the capital, the basic version could easily sell for ten copper coins, and the upgraded version for fifteen copper coins—a convenient and respectable food for merchants, guards, and even minor nobles who were frequently on the move.

"I'll order 200 packs of each version as a trial," Sieg said. "If they sell well, we'll increase the quantity next month."

The hot pot continues.

Sieg also tried fish tofu, vermicelli, and even a small plate of roasted potato chunks sprinkled with cumin.

Each item amazed him—not because of its amazing taste, but because of the "idea" behind these foods: convenient, easy to store, and with a consistent flavor, perfectly meeting the needs of the caravan.

By the time we were halfway through the meal, the soup in the copper pot had become quite rich and flavorful.

Sieg put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and looked at Lynn: "Sir, your food... these ideas are quite novel. But I'm curious, how did you come up with them? And those cement, medicines... Grayrock Town seems to have a lot of new things."

Here they come. Lynn knew the businessman would eventually ask this question.

He took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "Actually, the principle is very simple—observe the needs and then find ways to meet them. Caravans need lightweight and durable food, so we make instant noodles. Territory construction requires cheap and sturdy materials, so we develop cement. People who are sick need effective medicine, so we extract the essence of medicinal herbs."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "As for where the ideas come from... read more books and try more things. We have a small team that specializes in these areas."

That's pure nonsense. He can't possibly say that most of it came from his own magic touch.

Sieg listened while observing Lynn.

The image of Lynn Cole in the intelligence report was completely different from the person in front of him.

The general public's opinion of him in the capital was either that they didn't know who he was, since there were so many viscounts, it was impossible to remember them all.

The only ones who knew anything about it were a few old nobles who remembered Lynn's predecessor.

However, his reputation wasn't very good either. Although he wasn't completely wicked, he was known for gambling, being useless, an alcoholic, idle, weak, and a fake aristocrat. These were words that Sieg had often heard.

But in Grayrock Town, there wasn't even a small tavern, let alone a gambling den.

Moreover, the polite and eloquent lord before them was by no means weak.

Furthermore, the fact that they captured Ironstone Fortress with such swift and decisive force doesn't seem like they were simply idle...

Could it be that the rumors of demonic power circulating in the capital are true...?

In that instant, Sieg thought about many things, but he eventually let go of his resentment.

Whether Lynn was influenced by the power of the devil or not, what does that have to do with me? I'm a businessman, I'm here to make money.

Thinking of this, Sieg smiled and said:

"Lord Lynn is a capable and exceptionally intelligent ruler. It's not surprising that he could produce such things."

He paused, then changed the subject: "I've heard that Lord Lynn has a lot of novelties here. I wonder if there's anything else I could see?"

Sieg originally came for instant noodles, cement, and medicine, but now he's not satisfied with that.

Lynn smiled.

Good stuff? He has plenty here! It's just that most of it involves public opinion, so it's not convenient to sell in large quantities.

His thoughts shifted slightly, and suddenly something came to mind.

"Haha, Mr. Sig is really well-informed. I do have quite a few novelties here, but if you really want me to say something, there is one thing you might be interested in."

Sig's eyes lit up: "Oh? Could I take a look?"

"No rush, no rush. We can't take this out right now. After our meal, I'll take you to see it," Lynn said, keeping everyone in suspense.

……

After lunch, at the limestone town mine.

The steam engine is running.

The massive iron cylinder emitted a rhythmic "whoosh" sound, and the piston rod drove the rocker arm up and down, which in turn drove the water pump in the distance via the connecting rod.

Water is continuously pumped up from the depths of the mine and flows away along the irrigation canals.

Sig stood at a safe distance, breathing heavily, his eyes fixed on the scene.

He looked at the sturdy cast iron structure, the precise linkage transmission, and the ever-flowing water.

"This...! This is...!" Sig stammered, completely overwhelmed with shock.

"The steam engine! I want to introduce you to this amazing gadget!"

Sig stared intently.

He was a businessman who didn't understand the technical details, but he understood efficiency—this machine never stopped, while manual pumping required shifts, which would be tiring and lead to laziness.

"How deep can this machine pump water?" Sieg asked.

"Currently it's fifty meters," the veteran miner in charge of the operation replied. "To go any deeper, we'll need to improve the sealing and pressure. But Master Hal said the next machine can reach eighty meters."

"One machine can serve about 20 people," Lynn added.

"What about the cost?" Sieg turned to Lynn.

Lynn gave a number: 500 gold coins.

Sieg gasped. This was almost half a year's income for a small town.

But he quickly calmed down—if this machine could really save twenty miners, and each miner's annual salary was five gold coins, the investment could be recouped in a year.

Moreover, the machine won't get sick or cause trouble. Apart from burning coal and maintenance, there are almost no other costs. Most importantly, this thing obviously can't be used only for pumping mining!

"Is maintenance... complicated?" he asked.

"We need people with basic mechanical knowledge," Lynn said. "We're training them. If you buy the property, you can send two people to learn; tuition is extra."

Sieg walked around the machine twice and asked a few more questions: coal consumption, service life, and failure rate.

Lynn answered each question one by one, some of the data he gave was quite conservative—the actual performance was better than he said, but he didn't want to make any definitive statements.

Finally, Sieg stopped and looked at Lynn: "My lord, I'd like to buy two. One is a water pump, and the other... could it be made to drive a forging hammer? I know a few blacksmiths in the North, and they've been complaining that water-powered forging hammers are affected by the seasons."

"Sure," Lynn nodded. "But the forging hammer needs to be powered by more electricity, which will increase the price by 50%. And the delivery time will be long—at least three months."

“Price is no problem,” Sieg said. “But I want exclusive distribution rights—at least in the South, the sale of steam engines must go through me.”

Lynn shook his head: "Exclusivity is not an option. But I can give you priority—under the same conditions, you choose first. And it doesn't count as use within Grayrock Town itself."

Sieg thought for a moment, then nodded: "Deal. Two machines, total price one thousand gold coins. I'll pay a deposit of three hundred, and the rest upon delivery. Also..."

He paused. "The master just said that two people need to be sent to learn maintenance?"

"right."

"Then I'll send four," Sieg said. "You set the tuition. After they complete their training, they just need to be able to independently maintain the machines I bought."

"Twenty gold coins per person, three months of training," Lynn said. "Food and lodging are included, but you'll have to pay for any damage to the equipment."

Sig gritted his teeth: "Fine."

The deal was done, and the two headed back.

On the way, Lynn suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Sieg, I need a large quantity of saltpeter and sulfur. Do you have any available here?"

Lynn glanced at him: "I need a stable supply of sulfur and saltpeter. The quality must be good, and the price reasonable. Also, if there's any high-quality iron ore, that's negotiable."

"Sulfur and saltpeter..." Sig thought for a moment, "There are a few mines near the capital, not large in output, but of good quality. I can make the connections. As for iron ore, there's some in the North, but the transportation costs are high."

"Let's talk about sulfur and saltpeter first," Lynn said. "We need at least 100 pounds of sulfur and 200 pounds of saltpeter every month. The higher the purity, the better."

"I've got it." Sieg pulled a small notebook from his pocket and quickly jotted down a few notes. "I'll contact them when I get back. As for the price... I'll try to get it down to 90% of the market price."

Back at the castle, the two officially signed the contract.

Two steam engines, instant noodles, medicine, cement, and subsequent sulfur and nitrate supply agreements.

Sieg left behind a heavy bag of gold coins as a deposit.

As he was leaving, Sieg stood beside the carriage and glanced back at the concrete walls of Grayrock Town.

“My lord,” he said, “I have traveled to many places and met many lords. You are the most special one.”

"Oh? What's so special about it?" Lynn asked.

“You have the future in your eyes,” Sieg said. “I can sense it, not just this year’s harvest or next year’s taxes. What you’re building… is for ten or twenty years from now. I’m willing to cooperate with a lord like that for the long term.”

He bowed and then got into the carriage.

The convoy slowly drove away, raising a cloud of dust.

Lynn stood at the town gate until the convoy disappeared from sight.