Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

"Sir, you really shouldn't have come all this way in person."

Leon's voice rang out beside me once again.

The other party frowned, seemingly very dissatisfied with Lynn's actions.

"Leon, this is the third time you've said that." Lynn, sitting on horseback, glanced at the other man curiously.

"I remember you weren't this talkative before."

"That's because your previous decisions were wise and purposeful, but this time..."

Leon wanted to retort, but he stopped mid-sentence.

Although the former lord's personality has completely changed, and he has done a lot of things and made many important suggestions for the development of the territory, none of them have been as dangerous as today's decision.

He's actually going to Earl Lehman's territory, and he's going there in person!

This is more dangerous than anything the lord has ever done before.

It even surpassed the extent to which he personally went to the front lines to oversee the battle when monsters attacked.

Nowadays, none of the territories in the Southern Territory are safe, except for their own Ironstone Keep and Grayrock Town.

Even Earl Lehman, with whom he had trade dealings and had saved his son, was no exception.

"Sigh! It's because you're here that I've ever fought an unprepared battle!"

Lynn waved to Leon: "You recently advanced to intermediate warrior. I'm very confident in your abilities. If all else fails, I have a few musketeers with me."

Leon opened his mouth, as if to say something.

He wanted to tell Lynn that intermediate warriors weren't that rare.

Others are earls, and their territories certainly have similar fighting strength. This is nothing special. Moreover, Lynn himself has no fighting ability. If it really comes down to a fight, he can't even protect himself.

But he ultimately didn't say it.

What Leon didn't know was that Lynn, of course, wouldn't risk his life.

He carried several escape tools in his bag, including but not limited to smoke grenades and tear gas.

He even got himself a set of military-grade bulletproof vests.

If a real fight breaks out, Lynn only needs to disrupt the battle and run away while the other side is still wondering about these unknown weapons and equipment.

Moreover, his decision to personally sound out the situation was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. He didn't think any of his men were capable of negotiating directly with Earl Lehman.

Especially if Leon were to go alone, Lynn suspected that even he, as Leon's personal knight, might end up fighting Earl Lehman.

Now, Lynn has already instructed his men to take the items he exchanged to Dark Raven Pass to set up the northern route.

If we can take control of the main road to the east, especially Stormwind Territory which is closest to Ironstone Keep, then this battle can still be fought...

The group slowly made its way towards Stormhold. Leon had completely given up trying to persuade him. After all, his master's personality had changed, and he had always been quite good-tempered. Once he made up his mind about something, no amount of persuasion would work.

……

Stormhold soon came into view, just as Lynn remembered it, simple and ancient.

The group entered the territory, and Lynn reined in his horse in front of the lord's castle.

The guards at the gate had already spotted their group—a few people, without a banner, but neatly dressed and well-equipped.

The two people in front even looked somewhat familiar.

A young guard stepped forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Who is it?"

"Lynn Cole, Lord of Grayrock Town." Lynn dismounted, his tone calm. "I request an audience with Earl Lehman."

The guard was taken aback.

He remembered that he had indeed seen this young man before, and there had been quite a few rumors about him in the territory recently.

Cement, instant noodles, and even the medicine that can cure diseases all come from a place called Gray Rock Town.

"Please wait a moment." The guard turned and ran into the castle.

Leon walked to his side and lowered his voice: "Sir, if things go wrong, I'll cover you and help you get out of here first."

Lynn glanced at him but did not refute him.

The guards returned quickly.

"The Earl invites you in." He stepped aside to make way, "However, you may only bring two people."

Leon frowned, about to speak, when Lynn nodded.

"Can."

He turned to the musketeers accompanying him: "You wait here."

Then, accompanied by Leon and another musketeer, he followed the guards into the castle.

As soon as they entered the inner courtyard, Earl Lehman's butler came to greet them.

The other party performed a standard aristocratic greeting: "Lord Lynn, the Earl, having learned of your arrival, is already waiting in the drawing room."

He gestured for them to proceed, then dismissed the guards and began leading the way.

Lynn followed the butler to the reception room.

The door to the reception room closed gently behind him.

Lynn stood at the doorway, his gaze sweeping across the room.

Count Lehman sat in a chair by the window, holding a cup of tea, seemingly waiting for him.

Today, this old nobleman from the South was dressed in a dark blue casual suit, without a sword or armor, looking just like an ordinary manor lord.

But Lynn knew that this was just an illusion.

How could someone who can establish themselves in a place like the Southern Territory for decades and manage their territory so well be simple?

"Lynn." Lehman looked up, a smile spreading across his face. "You've come at the perfect time. I just had some fresh tea brewed, brought from the north. Want to try some?"

His tone was as relaxed as if he were entertaining an old friend.

Lynn breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least, the other party hadn't been on the verge of conflict from the very first meeting.

But Lynn was not careless at all.

He put his hands in his pockets and gripped the tear gas canisters inside.

He then walked over and sat down opposite Lehman.

Leon and the musketeer remained outside—as arranged by the butler, the two of them were alone in the drawing room.

"Your Excellency," Lynn said, taking the teacup but not drinking it, "you should know why I've come."

Lehman nodded.

"I know," he said. "The new king has ordered the southern border to gather its forces and attack Grayrock Town within a month."

His tone was calm, as if he were talking about today's weather.

Lynn looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Lehman didn't continue. He simply sipped his tea slowly, his gaze fixed on a spot outside the window.

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

"Gavin is gone," Lehman suddenly said.

Lynn was taken aback.

"My chief knight," Lehman put down his teacup, "took my troops to that so-called 'Anti-Rebellion Conference' early this morning."

Lynn's heart sank.

Gavin...

He remembered that Lynn had met the knight who was chasing Dr. Herbert a few times.

A campaign to subjugate?

Hmph, it goes without saying that they're going to attack me.

But what did Lehman mean by mentioning this?

"You..." Lynn carefully chose his words, "Have you decided to send troops?"

Lehman looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Lord Lynn, do you think I will send troops?"

Lynn did not answer immediately.

He recalled the first time he met Lehman—back then he was a down-on-his-luck viscount, and Grayrock Town was dirt poor, with only a few dozen vagrants in its territory.

Lehman didn't look down on him; on the contrary, out of gratitude for saving his son, she gave him a lot of help.

In subsequent trade dealings, Lehman Brothers was always fair, and one could even say very considerate.

But this time is different.

This is the king's order.

No nobleman was unaware of what disobeying orders meant.

"I don't know," Lynn thought for a moment, then honestly said, "That's why I came."

Lehman looked at the other man and found that the young nobleman showed no fear, no anger, and no tension.

Is there only a tiny bit of helplessness?

interesting.

To be honest, if he were in that situation, he felt he wouldn't be able to handle it with such composure.

He immediately became interested: "Then... Lord Lynn, what do you want me to do?"

Upon hearing this, Lynn couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly.

What do I hope you'll do? Of course, I hope you won't get involved in this mess.

If a fight breaks out, it won't look good for anyone.

However, his expression remained unchanged, and he did not directly answer Lehman's question: "Your Excellency, do you find cement useful?"

Lehman paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting Lynn to ask this question.

The next moment, Lehman seemed to understand something, and he looked at the young man in front of him with great interest.

"It works incredibly well, it couldn't be better. After I paved roads on my previously idle land with cement, the land value increased at least fivefold."

"I made huge profits from cement, instant noodles, and even those miraculous drugs."

Lehman smiled and continued, "I wonder why Lord Lynn asks this?"

"I can give you cement and instant noodle recipes in exchange for your non-interference in the war," Lynn said slowly.

He said calmly, "I'm not sure if you've had alchemists reverse engineer the cement formula, but I believe that even if you did, the formula might not be as comprehensive as mine."

Lehman fell into deep thought. He had thought that Lynn would lower the price on profits, but he did not expect that the other party would directly use the formula to exchange for his not sending troops.

Lehman was actually somewhat tempted, after all, given his personality, he didn't specifically ask someone to deduce the formula.

Now that he can directly obtain the formula, it means he has the ability to produce and sell his own products, and the profits can be quite substantial.

But more than being excited about the formula, Lehman admired it.

The young man in front of me remained calm in the face of danger, and was neither arrogant nor humble. He did not try to persuade me not to send troops based on our past relationship, nor did he use the debt of saving his son to blackmail me.

He recalled some intelligence he had gathered: the lord of Grayrock Town treated his people well, prisoners of war kindly, did not torture or kill, was fair, and was developing rapidly...

A bold decision suddenly came to mind.

"I reject this offer." Lehman's smile widened.

What?!

Lynn was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that even the formula couldn't impress the other party. As a beneficiary, Lynn knew very well just how profitable this stuff was.

This is going to be a real problem. We'll probably have to fight Lehman's forces, which is something Lynn doesn't want to see.

But there was nothing he could do; the other party didn't agree to the proposal, and Lynn couldn't think of anything else that could attract them.

He had no intention of trading military supplies such as gunpowder and muskets; these were the foundation of his business.

Thinking this, Lynn composed his expression: "In that case, I have nothing else to say. Farewell."

Lynn got up to leave, but then Lehman spoke up.

"etc!"