Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

Gale finally got her wish and joined the temporary army in Grayrock.

However, he was a bit dazed throughout the whole process.

Even from the very beginning of the interrogation, he was somewhat baffled...

The interrogator didn't ask him anything about himself throughout the interrogation. Instead, he took out a list full of names and read out each name before asking him, "Do you know so-and-so?"

If you know the other person, you need to tell them everything you know about them, including but not limited to: their attitude towards civilians, whether they have violated imperial laws, and you may even be asked about their personality!

He had never seen this interrogation method before.

What he didn't know was that this was Lynn's "big data screening method".

Because ordinary people might lie when they talk about their own affairs, but now everyone is a prisoner, and even if there was a superior-subordinate relationship before, it no longer exists.

Therefore, when discussing other people's affairs, it's highly likely that everything will be revealed. Even if one or two people who don't get along lie and deliberately smear the other party, if most people have a good impression of them, then the judgment will be based on the majority's impression.

Of course, if someone actually has a bad record, then a "threatening" interrogation process is inevitable.

At this point, Bray would suddenly ask the other person if they had done something wrong, and then judge based on the other person's reaction.

It has to be said that the scar on his face is quite intimidating, and coupled with the imposing presence of Leon, the "cold-faced god of war," most people would be immediately caught lying.

This doesn't guarantee that everyone will be perfectly selected, but it's a necessary measure.

After all, Frostfire City hasn't been captured yet, and the opinions of the Frostfire City residents haven't been received, so there might still be some who slip through the net.

But this is the best screening Lynn can do right now.

Gale passed the interrogation test without fail, and "perfectly" at that.

To paraphrase a phrase from Lynn's past life, the opinions of others regarding Gail were overwhelmingly positive...

Gale stood in the open space of the prisoner-of-war camp, listening to the man in leather armor read out the list.

"...Gail White, approved. Vic Smith, approved..."

Gail paused for a moment.

It passed?

He looked at Vic beside him, who was also looking at him with disbelief.

"Those whose names are called, gather over there." The man pointed to the east side of the camp. "Those whose names aren't called, stay and wait for the public trial."

Gail and Vic headed east.

On the way, Vic whispered, "I thought we were doomed."

Gail didn't say anything.

He didn't know why he passed.

All he knew was that the interrogator asked many people he knew and many things he had experienced. What those people said and what he himself said should... match up.

"Gale!" someone called to him.

Gale looked up and saw a young man in a gray uniform waving at him.

"Come with me."

……

The young man led him through several streets to a newly built shack area.

"This is a temporary military camp," the young man said. "You new recruits will live with the veterans. Ten people will share a shack, five veterans and five new recruits."

Gail looked at the shacks.

It was neatly arranged, row upon row, with numbers hanging at the entrances. It was much better than he had imagined, at least better than the living quarters of ordinary soldiers in Frostfire City.

"Go in," the young man said, pointing to one of the rooms. "You'll stay in room number three."

Gail pushed open the door and went in.

There were five bunk beds in the room, enough for ten people. On the lower bunk by the window, a middle-aged man was lying down reading a book. The book cover read "Complete Guide to Basic Literacy".

Upon seeing Gail enter, the man sat up and glanced at him.

"New here?"

"Yes."

The man nodded and pointed to the lower bunk near the door.

That's your spot.

Gail walked over and put down her simple luggage.

The man closed the book, walked over, and extended his hand.

"Hank. Third Musketeer Squad Leader, Grayrock Town."

Gail paused for a moment, then took his hand.

"Gale."

Hank nodded, then pointed to the other people in the room.

"These are all veterans. From now on, we'll eat from the same pot and sleep in the same bunk. If you need anything, speak up; otherwise, don't cause trouble."

Gail looked at those people.

Some were sleeping, some were wiping things, and some were huddled together talking quietly. When he looked over, some nodded, while others ignored him.

"You're reading?" Gail's gaze finally settled on the book in Hank's hands.

He was a little curious; did the soldiers here actually have to learn to read?

He didn't know about other places, but in Frostfire City, only formal knights would learn to read and write; ordinary soldiers would not.

Because knights don't have to pay money, they can learn from teachers specially assigned by nobles.

Ordinary soldiers, on the other hand, have to pay for it themselves and even find a special teacher to teach them...

Few people are willing to spend money to learn this; it's a thankless task.

The person in front of me didn't look like a knight from Grayrock Town at all.

"Yes, I brought it back from night school. I look at it after each training session, and I've learned quite a few more characters recently."

Hank's tone conveyed a sense of familiarity, as if it were a trivial matter.

Gail didn't respond; he remained silent.

Night school... what's that? Some kind of academy?

Gale was very curious. He knew that some nobles had their own academies, but... why was Hank able to attend such an academy?

Don't tell him that "Squad Leader of the Grayrock Town Musketeers" is a local noble title...

"How's your training going?" Gale asked again.

Hank smiled.

You'll find out tomorrow.

……

Before dawn the next day, Gail was awakened by a sharp whistle.

"Assemble!" someone shouted from outside the door. "Everyone, assemble!"

Gail got up and ran outside with the others.

Dozens of people were already standing in the open space outside. Some were in gray uniforms, some were in civilian clothes, and it was all rather chaotic.

A dark-faced man stood in front, holding a whistle in his hand.

"Newcomers, stand on the left. Veterans, stand on the right."

Gail moved to the left.

The dark-faced man glanced around, then shouted, "Stand up straight! Heads up, chests out! Eyes looking straight ahead!"

Gail straightened her back.

As a knight, he still knows these basics.

But what happened next completely stunned him.

"From now on, stand still for one hour," the dark-faced man said. "No moving, no speaking, no looking around. Anyone who moves will have half an hour added."

Gail was stunned.

Stand for an hour?

Just standing there?

He looked at the people around him; the newcomers all looked bewildered. But the veterans stood ramrod straight, motionless.

The sun slowly rose.

Gail just stood there.

My legs started to ache, my back started to hurt, and my neck started to feel stiff.

He had served in the army for more than ten years and had never stood like this before.

Do you need to stand in a battle?

Do we need to stand to kill the enemy?

He doesn't understand.

But he didn't move, because none of the veterans moved either.

He didn't want to be treated as a troublemaker on his very first day in the temporary army.

An hour later, the dark-faced man blew a whistle.

"Take a 15-minute break!"

Gail collapsed to the ground.

Vic leaned closer and muttered a complaint, "Is this training? We're just standing there?"

Gail shook her head.

He didn't know either.

But the veterans all looked normal; some were drinking water, others were talking in hushed tones, as if nothing had happened.

"New guy," Hank said, walking over and sitting down next to him. "Tired?"

Gail nodded.

Hank smiled.

"I was tired when I first arrived," he said, "but I got used to it."

"What's the use of this?" Gale asked. "Can you win a battle by just standing there?"

Hank glanced at him, then spread his hands. "To be honest, I don't know what it's for, but it's the lord's rule, I think it's called... 'military-style management'? As a soldier, I don't really understand this."

He paused, as if remembering something: "But it should be useful, because the lord has never issued a useless order."

When Hank said this, his voice was steady and firm, and his eyes even shone with confidence.

Gale glanced sideways; the other party's respect for the lord here was completely genuine, something Gale had never seen before.

At this point, he suddenly understood why he and his men had suffered such a humiliating defeat.

It might not just be because of those bizarre weapons...

He stopped asking about other things and quietly rested.

……

For the next few days, Gail went through this kind of "training" every day.

It's not just about "standing at attention," but also about running and marching in formation.

again and again.

Stand in the morning, run in the late morning, and march in formation in the afternoon.

There were no fighting techniques, no weapons training, just these repetitive, tedious, and seemingly meaningless things.

He was confused.

But he discovered something.

Those veterans, no matter what they did, were faster and more organized than him.

They eat quickly, sleep quickly, and assemble quickly. Once an order is given, it is executed immediately, without ever asking why.

However, he is sometimes a step behind.

As time went on, Gail grew somewhat resentful.

He was, after all, Karl's chief knight, whose status was roughly equivalent to a baron, and he was also a knight at the peak of the intermediate warrior level.

What's the point of making yourself do this kind of meaningless training every day?

But he knew that he was ultimately a prisoner, and the lord here treated prisoners quite well, so he had no right to complain.

But a peak intermediate-level warrior still possesses a certain arrogance.

Hank seemed to have noticed something. After training one day, Hank asked him, "You seem to think that this training wasn't very useful?"

Gail thought for a moment and honestly replied, "I don't know."

Hank nodded.

"So, what do you think we are right now?"

Gail paused for a moment.

"Soldiers?" he said.

Hank shook his head.

"They're machines," he said. "The lord said the soldiers must be like machines. One order, and they must carry it out immediately, without any hesitation."

machine?

Gail had never heard of that word.

But he probably understood what Hank meant.

It means... you don't have your own ideas, you just do what you're told?

"And on the battlefield?" he asked. "If the enemy charges at you, you just do what you're told?"

"That's right," Hank said. "We train the same way we do in wartime. All we need to do is execute orders unconditionally."

Gale frowned slightly upon hearing this: "Unconditionally obey orders? Does that mean if your lord orders you to die, you have to do it?"

Hank gave Gail a deep look: "That's right."

"But I believe that the lord wouldn't order us to die for no reason. If that day ever comes, if the order truly compels us to sacrifice ourselves, I will carry it out without hesitation!"

Gail looked at Hank, speechless for a long time...