After dealing with the slaves—well, they were now the third - class members of his tribe.

  The top tier was the ogre race itself, followed by the branded foreign races, then the ordinary members, and finally, the slaves.

  Only then did Gorgin approach the dwarf leader.

  “You're called... um, what was your name again?”

  The dwarf leader pursed his lips. “Chief, I'm Kolber Giant Sand, though now it should perhaps be Kolber Dragon's Lair.”

  “Ah, right. You introduced yourself as a customer before.”

  Gorgin recalled, but it was of little consequence. Who would remember an unimportant figure?

  “However, you're not yet qualified to add 'Dragon's Lair' to your name. You, like your tribesmen, are currently at the very bottom of the Dragon's Lair Tribe.”

  Gorgin's words, spoken loudly, made Kolber and the dwarves behind him flush with embarrassment.

  “I'll repeat this. If anyone's not convinced, stand up. But remember, one person's rebellion means the entire clan pays the price.”

  “ This rule is unshakable. Let go of your fragile pride. You should be grateful for being allowed to live as slaves.”

  These words shredded the dwarves' last shred of dignity.

  Pessimism and despair spread like wildfire among the thousands of dwarves.

  “On this desert, as the defeated, you should count yourselves lucky for this treatment. It's my rare display of mercy. ”

  “Any other force would have eradicated you without a second thought. But don't be too gloomy. I'm being merciful by providing a way for you to rise.”

  Gorgin's next words piqued the interest of all the dwarves.

  “There are two paths!”

  He held up two fingers.

  “Either, make a huge contribution to the tribe and be freed from your slave status. Or, offer unwavering loyalty. Whoever does so will immediately join the second echelon.”

  Afterward, Gorgin once again explained the tribe's hierarchical structure.

  Kolber looked up at Gorgin. “Chief, we've already surrendered and sworn allegiance to you!”

  “No, no, no. Verbal loyalty is worthless.”

  Gorgin pointed at the brand on the ogre's left arm.

  “See that? That's proof of absolute loyalty to me. If you're truly and fully loyal, a similar brand will appear on your left arm. Only then can you claim to be loyal.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Kolber and his tribesmen were taken aback. They never expected such an ability within the Dragon's Lair Tribe.

  “So, that's why the chief values that succubus and the orc from earlier?” Kolber sighed.

  “You were once a city lord. Would you trust and use someone without absolute loyalty?”

  “I understand, chief. The victor prevails, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. I just hope you'll keep your word and treat our women, children, elders, and the infirm well.”

  Kolber bowed deeply to Gorgin.

  “The Dragon's Lair Tribe always keeps its word.” Gorgin smiled, then turned his back on the dwarves and strode into the city.

  He aimed to verify his hunch about the treasure chest.

  Given that Giant Sand City had long held an oasis, there ought to be treasure chests within. The most likely place was Kolber's dwelling.

  For an ogre like him, entering a dwarf's home was nigh impossible. But if he couldn't enter, he'd simply demolish it.

  Sure enough, Gorgin spotted a blue treasure chest in Kolber's living room.

  【Ashen Forging Hammer】

  【Quality: Blue】

  【Introduction: A forging hammer of exceptional hardness. It adjusts to the user's strength and size. Weapons forged with it possess a minor fire - element attack, and armors forged with it gain a minor fire - element resistance.】

  The seemingly ordinary forging hammer instantly expanded when Gorgin picked it up, becoming the perfect size for him.

  “It seems the items from the treasure chest are related to its location.”

  Gorgin mused, hefting the heavy double - sided forging hammer.

  “Previously, in the goblin tribe, I obtained a metal smelting furnace. Goblins are experts at extracting desired materials from sand. ”

  “In my mother's shed, I found the Branding of the Rock and the enchanting workbench. One makes loyalty visible, and the other, combined with the 'Krummashaaar!' effect, boosts combat power. ”

  “Now, getting a forging hammer among the dwarves makes sense, as they're masters of forging.”

  Undoubtedly, this hammer would reach its full potential in the hands of the dwarves, imbuing forged weapons and equipment with magical properties.

  But in Gorgin's eyes, the dwarves weren't worthy of it yet.

  They could discuss it once they had the brand. Besides, he needed a weapon at the moment. What appealed to Gorgin most about this hammer was its hardness.

  The boning knife was sharp but ill - suited to his head - on fighting style. Moreover, the boning knife was more of a kitchen tool, and using it for battles wasn't ideal.

  Shouldering the hammer, Gorgin searched for a second treasure chest.

  Alas, he found none. Instead, he encountered Karin, who was distributing supplies to some slaves preparing to leave.

  When the slaves saw Gorgin, they froze in fear, thinking he'd come to silence them.

  Karin curtsied to greet Gorgin.

  “How's it going?”

  “Chief, almost done. I was about to send them out of the city.”

  “Good!” Gorgin fixed his gaze on the slaves.

  “Do you know what to say after you leave?”

  A shrewd slave, recalling why Karin had been scolded at the Hot Sand camp, quickly piped up, “Yes, yes. The goblins of the Hot Sand Consortium attacked and captured Giant Sand City. The dwarves of Giant Sand City sought help from the powerful neighboring Dragon's Lair Tribe. ”

  “The chief of the Dragon's Lair Tribe, being righteous and true to his word, sympathized deeply with the plight of his neighbors and was disdainful of the Hot Sand Consortium's greed. ”

  “He raised an army in anger and not only resolved the crisis of the Giant Sand City dwarves but also led them to defeat the Hot Sand Consortium.”

  Seeing Gorgin's satisfied expression, the slave continued, “The dwarves of Giant Sand City were so impressed by the chief's virtue and might that they led their people to submit to the Dragon's Lair Tribe and willingly became vassals.”

  Clap, clap, clap, clap!

  Gorgin couldn't help but applaud.

  “Well done. You spun that story on the spot quite skillfully.”

  “Karin, give him an extra day's supplies!”

  “After you leave, tell the story exactly as you just did. If anyone dares to spread false tales and slander me...” Gorgin sneered.

  “I have goblins and dwarves at my beck and call. I'll take an airship if I have to and bomb the hell out of them. Do you understand?”

  “All in all, do well, no reward; spread false rumors, you're dead. I always keep my word. Now, scram!”

  Gorgin waved his hand dismissively, as if driving away flies.

  The nearly hundred slaves scurried away down the street.