Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

The hustle and bustle of the celebration gradually subsided as the bonfire died down and the morning light rose.

The next morning, while most people were still enjoying the relaxation of the previous night's celebration or starting a new day's work, Lynn had already returned alone to his stone house.

He closed the door and focused his attention on the system interface.

Last night's celebrations have significantly boosted public opinion, which had been somewhat depleted, thanks to the contributions of the citizens; in fact, the total number of votes has even increased.

It seems that it's still necessary to "celebrate" like this from time to time.

Turning his attention back to the exchange shop, Lynn stared into deep thought as he looked at the dazzling array of goods on display.

With the abandoned mine nearing completion, manual mining is simply too inefficient. The primary task now is to develop the time-traveling marvel—the steam engine. Moreover, the steam engine's uses extend far beyond mining.

But now there is a very crucial question:

The cylinders, pistons, crankshafts, connecting rods... these core components of a steam engine cannot operate smoothly if there is even the slightest error. This cannot be solved by a blacksmith swinging a sledgehammer and grinding.

Directly exchange for a finished steam engine? Lynn glanced at the shop, and the price tag made him hesitate immediately—a full 3000 public opinion points per engine.

All his possessions were only enough to buy two cars, a drop in the ocean, and relying on exchanging them was not a long-term solution.

Steam engine blueprints were cheap, but they couldn't solve the problem of precision; the blueprints were just a piece of waste paper.

Lynn's gaze swept over the dazzling array of goods, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and his gaze finally settled on one item:

【Simple hand-cranked lathe *1: 6000 public opinion points】.

Yes! We can switch to a hand-cranked lathe!

He realized that he had been stuck in a mindset, subconsciously skipping over modern equipment that required electricity, forgetting that the very beginnings of the Industrial Revolution were driven by simple, reliable human-powered machinery!

Lynn stared intently at the item he was exchanging. Although it was only the most basic model with a precision of only 0.5 millimeters, far inferior to the CNC machine tools of his previous life, it was a godsend for Gray Rock Town, which was starting from scratch, and for the crucial initial metal processing needs of building a steam engine!

These 6000 public opinion points almost cost him a large portion of his savings!

My heart aches for you...

Lynn stared at the number, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the rough wooden table.

Forget it, never mind. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, and you can't catch a lathe without risking public opinion!

Development cannot wait, and opportunities are fleeting.

This lathe is of great significance. It represents the threshold from "handcrafted" to "preliminary precision machining" and is the cornerstone for the successful manufacturing of countless blueprints in the future.

[Exchange successful. Public opinion value -6000. Item has been delivered to the designated hidden storage location.]

Almost at the same time the notification sound ended, a dull thud came from the shady spot behind the stone house where discarded stones were piled up, as if something extremely heavy had been gently placed.

Lynn pushed open the door and went around to the back of the house.

On the open ground, a large object, about two meters long and nearly one meter wide and high, wrapped in a thick, dark gray tarpaulin, sat quietly, with several newly appeared thick wooden planks underneath it. Next to it were two wooden crates of different sizes.

He lifted a corner of the tarpaulin, and a cold, metallic scent wafted out.

The lathe is made of heavy, dark gray cast iron. The bed rails have a cold, hard luster, and the brass handles are polished to a shine. The headstock and tailstock are compact in structure. Although the style is old-fashioned, every joint exudes a rigorous industrial feel.

In the wooden crate next to it, various shapes of cutting tools, drill bits, chucks, and a heavy leather apron were neatly stacked.

After covering the tarpaulin with the rain cover, Lynn returned to his room, exchanged for a manual for operating a hand-cranked lathe, and then had it translated into a local version.

Holding the translated instruction manual, Lynn headed towards the blacksmith's shed.

Inside the shed, the fire was blazing, and Hal and Rod, master and apprentice, were working hard, hammering a batch of new arrowheads, the clanging sounds filling the air.

"Hal, come with me for a second, there's something I need you to look at," Lynn called out from the doorway.

Hal put down the hammer, wiped his face with a towel, and followed with a slightly puzzled look.

The old blacksmith was even more confused when Lynn lifted the rain cover on the lathe again.

This must be another "treasure" created by the lord, just like those amazing ballistae and composite bows before.

He circled the lathe twice before extending his slightly trembling hand and touching the smooth guide rails, the solid bed, and the gleaming handle with extreme care.

Hal didn't understand what this thing was, but he could still grasp some of the intricate structure. He knew he couldn't build it himself.

"My lord, what... what is this?" His voice was hoarse with excitement.

"This is called a lathe," Lynn explained briefly. "It allows metal to rotate and be cut with fixed tools to create more precise parts. It's more accurate than forging with a hammer."

Lynn handed the prepared translation to the other party.

Hal examined the pages carefully, and after a long while, he looked up again, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Rotation...cutting..." Hal murmured repeatedly, his craftsman's intuition allowing him to grasp the key in an instant.

He tried gripping the hand crank, turning it slowly, feeling the smooth and steady resistance from the spindle box, his eyes growing brighter and brighter: "Wonderful...wonderful! Sir, can I learn this?"

"It's for you to learn," Lynn affirmed, then sent someone to fetch Thorin.

Upon Thorin's arrival, after listening to Lynn's introduction, he focused his attention on the overall structure and layout of the lathe.

He gave the bed a hard push, but it didn't budge. He then squatted down to examine the padding and the ground. "Sturdy enough! It's a heavy-duty machine," he commented gruffly, before turning to Lynn. "Sir, where is this thing mounted?"

"That newly built large shed. Could you please bring some people and move it there safely?"

Under Sorin's command, a dozen men carefully moved the heavy lathe to its designated location using logs and ropes.

After everything was settled, Lynn pointed to the guidebook in Hal's hand.

"Study the diagrams and methods here first. Don't rush into doing it. Understand the principles, figure out how to use it, and what to use it for before you start."

Lynn instructed, "First, find some scrap metal to practice on, starting with making the simplest tools and small parts. You can't rush this. Also, be careful."

"I understand, sir."

Hal and Thorin nodded solemnly, their eyes already glued to the guidebook and the lathe in front of them.

Lynn said no more and turned to leave the work shed.

Now that he has the lathe, he needs to go and exchange it for the blueprints for the steam engine.