Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

The sun climbed overhead, and a hint of food steamed in the dry wind.

In the center of the square, Martha and several women guarded the familiar iron pot, but the atmosphere was completely different from before.

No one rushed up in a swarm; people returned in twos and threes from all directions. Some were cleaning up the garbage with their hands covered in dust and mud, while others were carrying stones with sweat dripping down their backs. Old Gem, who was clearing land behind them, had mud splattered on his legs.

They all looked at Lynn, who was standing by the pot, their eyes filled with a mixture of eagerness and the satisfaction of having just finished their work.

Lynn nodded to Martha. The little girl took a deep breath, picked up the wooden board with crooked handwriting and scratches, and said in a trembling, nervous voice, "According to... according to the work done this morning, those whose names are called, come and get your food... Rod, three work points."

The dark-skinned, thin former blacksmith apprentice hesitated for a moment, then quickly stepped forward amidst the focused gazes of those around him.

Martha scooped up a spoonful of thick paste, which clearly contained some minced meat, and poured it into his broken bowl.

Then came the second, the third... The thickness of each food item clearly corresponded to the number of "work points" on the wooden board.

The indigenous man, who had been slacking off in the corner all morning, only received a small bowl of clear vegetable soup. He opened his mouth, but under the silent gaze of everyone, he didn't dare to utter a sound and silently took the soup away.

The first instance of "distribution according to work" made everyone instantly understand the weight of the new rule.

Those who are engrossed in their work unconsciously straighten their backs, while those whose eyes are wandering begin to plan how to work harder in the afternoon.

Lynn himself held a bowl of porridge and squatted in the shade, eating. Watching this silent order, the tension in his heart eased slightly. The work-point system had taken its first step here.

After lunch, Lynn walked around the house where the foundation was being laid and headed towards the field ridge. Before he even got there, he could hear heavy breathing from afar, like a broken bellows.

On the barren field, Gem led three or four people, struggling against the old grass roots and stones scattered all over the ground.

Most of the men were wielding old, chipped hoes. When they struck the rocks, the rocks would spark and then fall silent, while the men themselves would wince from the impact.

Old Gem squatted there, scraping grass roots with a broken piece of pottery, taking a long time to break off a single root, his fingers as black as charcoal.

The clearing work was more difficult than he had anticipated, but Lynn didn't blame them.

The soil here is really bad; we have to look for places with weeds to dig.

Moreover, the long-term hunger of the residents could not be made up for in a short time. People had limited strength and poor tools, so their efficiency was naturally not very high.

Lynn was very pleased that they were working so hard under the work point system.

As he slowly approached, old Gorm noticed Lynn, stood up, and bowed to him.

"My lord!"

Lynn waved his hand. The residents were showing him the respect they would show a normal lord; this was a good start.

Lynn walked around the small depression. There were a few clumps of "ground potato" on the side, a kind of food that poor people often ate, similar to sweet potato, and the leaves were wilting and barely hanging on.

He kicked aside a loose stone; the soil underneath was a darker color, but it was still quite solid.

If we rely on just this few people to dig the land, the seeds will probably rot in the exchange mall before the land is even properly prepared.

Lynn walked up to Old Gorm: "Stop for a second. How big of a section have you cleared?"

Old Gem gestured with his hands, indicating that it was only about the size of a few straw mats put together, and it was just a bunch of broken stones and straw stalks.

"Let's leave it at that for now," Lynn said. "Here it is. You guys pick out all the loose stones on this ground. Move the big stones if you can, and try to break up the soil. Pull out as many grass roots as you can. If you can't pull them out, break them with stones and bury them in the soil."

Gem was stunned: "Sir, this...this can be planted already? The soil hasn't even been thoroughly tilled, and the fertilizer is..."

"Just do as I say." Lynn didn't explain, turned around and walked towards the stone house where they were staying temporarily. "Call me when you're done."

He went back inside and closed the door. The light screen unfolded before him, and he looked at it. The seeds weren't expensive; 10 kg of potatoes only cost 20 public opinion points. Even if it was just for the cost of food, he could afford it.

However, high-grade fertilizers are out of the question for now; even if we could unlock them, we wouldn't have the resources.

Confirmed, redeem.

A small, heavy cloth bag appeared in his hands. Opening it, he found several small, rough-skinned tubers with many green sprouts. They were definitely potatoes.

He weighed it in his hand and put it away.

When they went out again, Gem and the others had already tidied up that small patch of land as instructed. Although it was still uneven, at least the large stones and obvious grass roots were no longer visible on the surface.

Several people stood to the side, their faces filled with obvious curiosity and confusion when they saw Lynn return.

Lynn squatted down by the ground and emptied the potatoes from the cloth bag:

"Watch closely." He picked one up, cut it into pieces with a knife, and found the area with the densest sprouts: "Sprouting tips upwards, bury it there. Don't bury it too deep, just about..."

He dug a small hole in the soil with his hands, put the potato in, covered it with soil, and gently patted it down. "Like this. Leave one 10 centimeters between each potato."

He demonstrated with a few, then stood up and handed the remaining potatoes and the bag to Gem: "Just like this, fill this plot. Be careful, don't plant the sprouts upside down."

Gom took the seed he had never seen before, his hands trembling slightly. "Sir, this...this really will work? This land..."

"If it doesn't have enough nutrients, it'll make up for it itself." Lynn patted the soil off his hands. "Plant it, water it thoroughly once. We'll see what happens after that."

He didn't say anything more, leaving Gem and the others staring blankly at the strange bag of seeds and the barely cleared land, before turning back.

Behind him came Gem's hushed urging and the sound of digging. Lynn was only about 70% sure if it would work. It was spring planting season, but he didn't know if modern crops could actually be grown in this other world.

But some things have to be buried first before we can see if they can "sprout".

As the sun sank below the western ridge, a commotion came from the intersection.

It was Leon and his group. Several figures walked towards the setting sun, their footsteps dragging on the ground, making a soft rustling sound.

Leon, leading the way, had a layer of dusty armor that made a clattering sound as he walked.

The thing he was carrying swayed with his steps; it was two skinny, gray-furred wild rabbits, looking like they weighed very little.

Bray followed behind, empty-handed. His scarred face was expressionless, except for his tightly pursed lips.

The next two or three also had their heads drooping.

Leon didn't go into the crowd; he walked straight to Lynn and threw the rabbit on the ground.

"My lord." The voice sounded a little dry.

Lynn was looking at a section of the newly built low wall. He turned his head, glanced at the small amount of prey on the ground, and then looked up at Leon: "It's good that the person is back. How's the surrounding area...?"

"The situation has been investigated, except..." Leon hesitated for once, which was unusual for him.

"Only what?" Lynn had already sensed something was wrong from the other person's expression.

Bray then stepped forward, his Adam's apple bobbing as if something was stuck in his throat, and began to speak: "Sir, only the west end... something's not right." He untied the leather water pouch hanging from his waist, clutched it in his hand, and spoke with a hint of fear in his voice:

"We suspect there's a monster there!"