Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

The meeting ended, and the noise faded away.

The room fell silent, save for the scratching of charcoal pencils on rough paper and the occasional crackling of torches burning. Lynn sat at the "table" made of old door panels, looking at the crooked records on it: who was responsible for what, what was needed, and what was missing.

The handwriting was Martha's, neat and childlike. But behind those neat words lay a series of problems that could crush a person.

"Sigh! It's tough!"

This battle made Lynn truly understand what a hellish start meant.

First, there was the defense. Those low stone walls offered Lynn no sense of security whatsoever. If it weren't for Leon and a few guards, plus the modern weapons he had given Bray, there would definitely have been casualties last night; those walls couldn't stop the monsters.

The sudden appearance of the monsters made Lynn feel more anxious, and the townspeople didn't have proper weapons or equipment. Apart from the hastily formed hunting team with the few hunting bows left in the town, the other men were almost all carrying hoes and shovels.

Then there's the issue of food. The potatoes have already been planted, but according to their growth cycle, they won't be harvested until next month. Even if there are plenty of potatoes to fill our stomachs, it's not enough to solve our immediate problem.

Lynn had already replaced the basic meat buns with cheaper chicken breast, but providing three meals a day for everyone was still a considerable expense, and the townspeople's feedback on the food was decreasing, which gave Lynn a major headache.

The last and most crucial question is people.

That's right, the territory is really short of people right now!

Lynn's group of over ten people, along with the refugees and the original townspeople, totaled only about fifty or sixty. This was hardly territory; it was clearly a camp.

"Let's take it one step at a time. Let's solve the most urgent problem of defense deployment first." Lynn sighed, thought for a moment, and then turned his attention to the exchange shop.

[50kg high-strength cement powder * 1: 100 public opinion points]

"Ten bags should be enough." Lynn glanced at his remaining public opinion points: [Public Opinion Points: 1768].

Last night's victory significantly boosted the residents' cohesion, with almost everyone contributing over 20 points of public support. Bray, Leon, and a few others even had over 30. The public support is currently showing a slow but steady upward trend.

After deducting the 1000 points for cement, use the remaining points to exchange for some high-quality tools such as pickaxes and small trailers, and keep 200 points for emergencies.

However, Lynn was in no hurry to exchange them. He planned to find a secluded place outside to do so, since it was hard to explain how such a bunch of things could suddenly appear in the house.

After thinking for a moment, he turned his attention to the census report written by Martha.

"Rhodes..." He drew a circle after the name with charcoal and circled the words "Blacksmith Apprentice": "Build a blacksmith shop after the wall is finished."

With a blacksmith shop, we can go mining in the mines, and we can also get our weapons and tools sorted out.

"For now, we'll continue with communal meals, and we can't reduce the amount of meat. Without proper nutrition, they won't be able to work well. Let's increase the number of hunting team members... and try to hunt more game to ease the situation. If we can just get through this month..."

Lynn has no plans to interrupt the food supply, continuing to provide the most basic food needs daily. Even if it costs a lot of public opinion points, she is willing to do so.

Finally, regarding manpower, Lynn's idea was to take Leon a little further away after the wall issue was resolved, and to take in some refugees from the South.

There must be more than one case in Blackwater Village; there must be many more displaced people. Lynn plans to absorb as many people as possible from the nearby small villages.

"But we still don't have enough skilled workers..." Lynn sat at the table, his gaze sweeping over the words "Blacksmith Apprentice Rod." The wall problem was solved, and the food supply was sufficient, but the shortage of skilled workers couldn't be solved with work points.

A figure appeared in my mind.

Kay Fleming—his childhood best friend in the capital. When his family fell from power and were exiled here, Kay was the only one willing to stand up for him, even arguing with his father about it. His family had deep roots in the Eastern Provinces.

Thinking of this friend who had been with him since childhood in the original owner's memories, Lynn unconsciously smiled.

He took out his treasured letter and the family crest engraved with vines and sword patterns. He picked up the pen and pondered.

Kai:

I have arrived in Grey Rock Town.

Well, here's the situation... well, let's just say we just drove off a bunch of monsters that looked like apes come to life last night. My "castle" is a drafty stone hut, and my inhabitants could fill two card games, half of whom are using farm tools that you'd never guess are their "weapons." How about that? Much more interesting than yours, isn't it?

Seriously though, I need help. Not just any help, but the kind that can turn lead into gold… no, turn lead into iron. I remember you bragging last time about recruiting a few “stubborn old fogies with some skills”? Lend me two or three, will you?

One person who can appraise stones, one person who can forge iron, and it would be even better if someone also knew a bit about herbs. I know this request is a bit shameless, but please help me out, considering I even have to deal with the "apes" myself.

Don't worry, it's not a free loan. I'll pay you double the salary, it's all in writing. And I guarantee that next time you come to the South to "experience life," you'll at least be served a decent chair, instead of sitting on a wooden stump like you are now.

Your unlucky but optimistic friend — Lynn

Lynn blew the ink dry and wrapped the letter together with the gleaming badge. He called Leon over: "After the wall is finished, send someone to find Young Master Kay of the Fleming family. Give him this, and he'll understand."

"Just to deliver a message?" Leon took the small package.

"He'll bring it back for a few of us," Lynn smiled.

After giving his instructions, he left the noisy camp center alone and headed towards the hill to the east. The area was covered in woods and rarely visited.

The spring sun was high in the sky, and only birdsong filled the woods. He walked to a shady, gentle slope, looked around, and indeed there was no one there.

With a thought, it connects to that ethereal interface.

The system detected the deduction of public opinion points, and the next moment, ten bags of grayish-white cement with unidentified patterns were neatly stacked on the open ground in front of them.

A lightweight metal-framed cart and several brand-new steel picks and shovels stood quietly to the side, their cold, hard textures gleaming in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.

Public opinion plummeted to square one, leaving a pitiful 221 points.

Lynn stepped forward, touched the rough paper surface of the cement bag, and then tested the nimble wheels of the handcart. Everything was ready; he could just call someone to come and take it back later.

With the cement ready, we can discuss with Leon this afternoon and start mixing the mortar and laying the wall.

Lynn was already secretly anticipating the residents' reaction...