Lin Mo transmigrated into another world as a baron.
The good news: He has an estate.
The bad news: His estate is on the verge of starvation, he owes five hundred gold coins, and all three hundred of his subjects are elderly, weak, sick, or disabled.
The even worse news: Other transmigrators get a System and divine skills. All he has in his pocket is half a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes.
Just as he was preparing to lie flat and wait for death, he discovered that an abandoned warehouse connected to a modern hardware store.
He also rescued a girl who was being hunted down, and she knew how to farm.
A witch? What witch? She's my chief scientist!
From then on, the frontier territory of Wasteland started going off the rails.
Others rely on the weather to farm; they use fertilizer.
Others fight with knights; they fight with black powder.
Other nobles drink red wine; his nobles squat by the wall and slurp instant noodles.
The Church says witches are demons and must be burned alive.
Lin Mo says, "Bullshit. She's a key technical expert, protected by labor laws."
The neighboring kingdom says all those strange inventions must be banned.
Lin Mo says, "Come take a look at this thing called a cannon, then try saying that again."
The moment steam locomotives started running, the once-poor backwater became the most sought-after destination for immigrants across the continent.
Lin Mo lit a cigarette and gazed at his bustling territory before speaking slowly:
"Who says a hardware store owner can't save the world?"
From behind him came Karl's wail: "Quit showing off! Aliya ate all your instant noodles!"
[Homesteading + infrastructure building + witches + Industrial Revolution + everyday life of working people]
