Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

Lynn was walking back to Ironstone Castle, and he was in a very good mood.

This trip to Ironstone Fortress brought him a large amount of supplies and nearly a thousand people, including many skilled craftsmen who were adept at blacksmithing, weaving, and carpentry.

This doesn't even include those from the surrounding villages who couldn't come.

With the surge in population, today's speech on the new system, and the tangible benefits and the stew of potatoes, Lynn's approval rating finally broke 10,000, reaching a terrifying 10723.

War is definitely the fastest way to make money!

The exchange shop has unlocked many more items, including some quite high-tech ones.

If Lynn wanted, he could even exchange it for a semi-automatic rifle to play with, but Lynn simply wouldn't do something so wasteful.

[M1 Garand*1: 7500 Popularity Points]

Looking at the classic gun from his previous life, Lynn was very envious, but he still resisted the urge.

The items in the exchange shop were more expensive than he had imagined. For example, this classic American rifle from World War II would cost two-thirds of his savings, not even counting the price of the bullets.

It's true that having the technology is much more practical and cheaper than having the finished product!

Shaking his head and smiling wryly, Lynn's thoughts returned to the alchemist named Evan he had just been chatting with.

This person was the biggest gain from Lynn's trip to Ironstone Castle.

Back in his temporary study at Ironstone Castle, Lynn closed the door and brought up the exchange shop interface.

10723 points of public opinion.

The numbers came faster than he had anticipated. The gratitude and hope of the nearly one thousand people in Ironstone Fortress were indeed far more overwhelming than the emotions of the few dozen refugees in Grayrock Town at the beginning.

Unfortunately, these kinds of speeches about huge price increases can't be given every day.

He looked at the M1 Garand again; the gun gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, and the specifications clearly indicated its range, magazine capacity, and semi-automatic operating principle.

But 7500 points is too expensive, and exchanging for a gun doesn't solve the fundamental problem.

Lynn's gaze shifted downwards, landing on another newly unlocked item:

[Basic Chemistry Lab Equipment Set *1: 1500 Popularity Points]

The item description includes: a glassware set (beakers, graduated cylinders, funnels, etc.), a high-precision brass balance, an alcohol lamp, an asbestos mesh, an iron stand and clamps, commonly used reagents (basic acids such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and various indicators) and a safety operation manual.

This price is much more reasonable.

More importantly, this is not a disposable product, but a production tool that can continuously generate value.

Only with these things could Ivan truly begin his research.

Lynn chose to redeem.

Almost simultaneously, several sturdy wooden crates appeared out of nowhere in the corner of the study, stacked neatly.

Lynn walked over and opened the top box, which contained carefully wrapped glassware, each separated by straw.

The second box contained brass balances and various metal clamps.

The third box was the heaviest, containing reagents in thick glass bottles with clear labels.

He summoned two militiamen who were guarding the door.

"Move these to that empty room in the east tower, handle them carefully. Tell Ivan that what he needs has arrived."

"Yes, sir."

Lynn sat down and continued browsing the shops. His public opinion score was 9223 points remaining.

He found several technical drawings that interested him:

[Detailed Explanation of the Three-Field Crop Rotation System: 300 Public Opinion Points]

[Simple waterwheel design: 400 public opinion points]

[Saltpeter purification and granulated gunpowder manufacturing process: 800 public opinion points]

The first two are agriculture and basic industry, while the latter is directly related to the improvement of gunpowder power.

Lynn redeemed all of them.

Three neatly bound manuals appeared on the table, each with clear illustrations and step-by-step instructions.

He first opened the book "Purification of Saltpeter and Preparation of Granulated Gunpowder".

The contents were more systematic than what he had told Ivan, including mother liquor recovery, temperature control curves, the optimal humidity range for granulation, and so on.

"This is what's truly useful," Lynn murmured.

……

The next day, the empty rooms in the east tower had been converted into temporary laboratories.

Ivan stood at the door, watching the militiamen carefully carry the wooden crates inside.

When he saw the crystal-clear glassware and the exquisite brass balance in the box, he held his breath.

"The lord said these are for you," the militia captain said, setting down the last box. "Do you need any help setting them up?"

"No, no need, I can do it myself," Evan quickly said.

He couldn't wait to touch the equipment himself.

After the militiamen left, he closed the door and took out the utensils one by one as if they were precious treasures, arranging them on the long stone table.

Beakers, conical flasks, graduated cylinders, funnels...

Each piece was crafted with more exquisite skill than any other metalwork he had ever seen.

The glass walls of the alcohol lamp are uniformly transparent, and the wick is made of a certain type of heat-resistant fiber.

Then he saw the reagent bottle.

He recognized most of the names on the labels: sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid... but the purity markings shocked him: "98%", "65%", "36%"—purities that were practically legendary.

The best sulfuric acid he had ever seen in Frostfire City was nothing more than a murky, oily liquid with a concentration of at most 30%.

Finally, he opened the "Safety Operation Manual." The first page, in bold font, stated:

"Protective gloves and aprons must be worn before the experiment."

"When diluting concentrated acid, the acid must be poured slowly into the water; the reverse operation is strictly prohibited."

"All experiments must be conducted in a well-ventilated area."

"Emergency handling procedures for accidental spills..."

Evan turned the pages one by one, growing increasingly alarmed with each reading.

This is not just an operating guide, but a complete safety philosophy—putting the lives of experimenters first and listing countermeasures for all foreseeable risks.

He recalled how, when he used to tinker with those dangerous formulas in the shed, the only protection he had was to "stay away."

Ivan realized that his new lord was no ordinary man, and he even began to suspect that Lynn might be an alchemy master.

There was a knock at the door. Ivan opened it, and Lynn stood outside, holding three booklets.

"My lord." Ivan stepped aside.

Lynn walked into the laboratory, looked around at the equipment that had already been set up, and nodded.

"They acted very quickly."

"These tools... are so exquisite," Ivan couldn't help but say.

"I've never seen anything like this before..."

"Good tools are essential for good results." Lynn placed the booklet on the table.

"These three books are what you will be learning and practicing next."

Ivan picked up the top book, "The Purification of Saltpeter and the Preparation of Granulated Explosives".

Turning to the first page, a clear flowchart comes into view.

Crude nitrate → Dissolve → Filter → Primary crystallization → Secondary crystallization...

Each step has specific parameters: dissolving water temperature, stirring time, crystallization temperature, particle size range, etc.

This is not a vague "alchemy formula" at all, but a precise industrial production process.

"This is..." Evan looked up, his eyes shining.

"The standard manufacturing process for gunpowder," Lynn said.

"I need you to master this method within a month and produce the first batch of qualified granular gunpowder. The raw material is available in the Limestone Town warehouse; inform Martha of the quantity you need."

"Gunpowder? A month..." Evan quickly flipped through the manual, estimating the time and difficulty.

He had never heard of gunpowder, but he understood the process and principles of aristocratic salutes.

Is this some kind of fireworks display for fun?

No, it doesn't seem like it.

Based on Evan's initial impression of Lynn, the other party was not the kind of pedantic and flashy ordinary nobleman.

Without thinking it over, Ivan replied:

"It should be possible. But I need assistants, at least two people, to help with some repetitive tasks."

"Okay." Lynn nodded.

"Starting tomorrow, Martha will pick two literate young people from night school to assist you. But you must do the core steps yourself, especially the proportions and mixing."

"clear."

Lynn then pointed to two other booklets: "These two are about agriculture and waterwheel design. You can take a look at them in your spare time to broaden your thinking. Remember, alchemy has applications beyond gunpowder. Fertilizers, medicine, materials... these are all potential avenues."

Lynn made copies of all three manuals except the one on gunpowder purification, intending to give a copy to Thorin and Hal in Grayrock Town as well.

Ivan solemnly picked up the three booklets. "I will not betray your trust, sir."

After Lynn left the lab, Evan sat down at the table and carefully opened the manual "Purification of Saltpeter," reading it word by word from the first page.

As darkness fell outside the window, he lit an oil lamp and began copying down the key steps and parameters in his notebook.

This was the first time in his life that he felt he was truly standing at the threshold of "knowledge".

It's not those vague metaphysical theories, but clear, intuitive, and repeatable truths.

For the first time, Evan felt as if he had pried open the door to the realm of alchemy.

Meanwhile, on the other side, after Lynn left the laboratory, he passed by the small chapel in the southeast corner.

This is a building that doesn't exist in Grayrock Town. It may have existed before, but due to the decline of Grayrock Town, the church was abandoned and turned into the residence of some residents.

Lynn pushed open the door and went inside.

The stone hut was simple, with a few rows of benches and a stone altar. The murals on the walls were faded, but some outlines were still discernible—a blurry woman, with one hand outstretched in the halo of light, below whom were kneeling worshippers.

The memories in Lynn's mind told him that this was the god worshipped by humans—Sophia, the Goddess of Holy Light, also known as the Holy Goddess.

Lynn was not a believer. He wasn't before he transmigrated, and even after transmigrating, the original owner of this body didn't seem to have much enthusiasm for religion.

But standing before the altar, he vaguely felt a faint tremor.

It seems to come from the heart, or even deeper—in the blood, in the bone marrow.

It was as if something that had been sleeping had been gently touched, and then quickly fell silent again.

He frowned, focusing intently on sensing. But the sensation had vanished, as quickly as an illusion.

Lynn stared at the mural for a few seconds.

Sovia, the goddess of holy light, is the chief deity of humankind. Her doctrines emphasize order, protection, and hope.

There is no church in Grayrock Town. The refugees may occasionally murmur the name of God, but few pray seriously.

The influence of deities in this world seems weak, and there seem to be few devout believers.

"Oh! My lord, so you've been here all along!"