The goblins were utterly annihilated, not a single one left alive. In this arid desert expanse, population held little value; resources were the true currency.

  The combined might of the Dragon's Lair Tribe and Giant Sand City charged headlong into the second city of the Hot Sand Consortium with remarkable speed.

  This very city had dispatched troops to the Dragon's Lair Tribe previously.

  The Hot Sand Consortium had endured substantial losses, having lost their second - in - command, a significant number of elite forces, and a vast amount of machinery.

  This turn of events caught both Karin and the dwarves of Giant Sand City off - guard.

  Contrary to expectations, the Hot Sand Consortium refrained from mustering their forces anew to avenge their prior defeat.

  Losing a city and their elite troops had dealt them a severe blow, despite still having their headquarters.

  They needed time to fabricate new machinery and retrain their drivers.

  Their physically frail forms made it impossible to survive in such a harsh environment relying solely on their own strength.

  To safeguard the second city, the Hot Sand Consortium deployed a contingent of troops from their headquarters to quell the situation and initiated an aggressive production spree, churning out machines in large numbers.

  Alas, the combined forces of the Dragon's Lair Tribe and Giant Sand City arrived far too rapidly.

  When the heavily - armored ogres, bellowing mightily and brandishing three - barreled machine guns, charged forward, it was already a lost cause for the Hot Sand Consortium.

  The troops stationed in the second city had dispatched scouts and sounded the alarm, yet they were powerless to halt the onslaught.

  "Stand firm! Stop them!!!" The goblin commander of the Hot Sand Consortium, at the helm of a Gatling gun, roared, taking aim at the most menacing Nu.

  Other goblin mining and logging machines hastened to join the fray. In an instant, the battle devolved into close - quarters combat.

  To their dismay, they discovered that their vaunted attacks were invariably absorbed by the earth - yellow energy that flickered ceaselessly on the ogres' bodies, transforming into clods of earth that tumbled to the ground.

  The damage they inflicted on the ogres was negligible.

  In stark contrast, the ogres' assaults were truly formidable.

  When their colossal bone hammers descended with force, even if the goblins managed to dodge the cockpit, the mechanical arms used for attack would instantaneously warp and cease to function.

  Given that the bone hammers were, after all, made of bone and thus not as durable against metal, they soon broke.

  The ogres nonchalantly discarded them and grabbed whatever was at hand to use as a weapon.

  Even large chain saws and buckets that required steam and hydraulic power to operate could be wielded with remarkable dexterity in the ogres' grasp.

  The four ogres clad in heavy armor, each gripping a massive bone hammer in one hand and a large iron shield in the other, were particularly astonishing.

  These were solid iron shields, and when combined with their full - iron heavy armor and the Branding of the Rock, they emerged from the battle scarcely scathed.

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  Countless goblin machines were torn asunder and reduced to heaps of scrap by them.

  Reluctant to use their bone hammers, which could unleash flames, they instead wielded the large iron shields as weapons, pounding away with thunderous roars.

  Nu roared defiantly, engaging in a fierce exchange of fire with the goblin Gatling gun.

  A hail of bullets pelted him, sparking a shower of bright embers.

  He chose not to ride the Kodo beast, instead advancing steadily, step by resolute step, directly into the enemy's fire.

  Karin was deeply concerned that the chief's sole mount might perish here.

  If that were to happen, the chief would surely fly into a rage upon their return. She wasn't even certain if the meager merit she had accrued could spare her life.

  "Damn it! Why is the enemy's firepower so overwhelming?!!!"

  The goblin driver locked in a firefight with Nu screeched in frustration.

  "Go! Urgently request reinforcements! We're on the verge of collapse here!"

  He spun around and shouted towards the rear, only to find that chaos had already engulfed that area.

  While the ogres held the front line, the dwarves of Giant Sand City launched a stealthy flanking assault.

  They breached the city from the side. All the goblins had been fixated on the seemingly invincible ogres in the front.

  It was only when the dwarves' steam tanks fired a shell at close range, toppling the side city wall, that the goblins realized their rear was under attack.

  In the sky, airships hovered, raining down continuous bombardment on the ground.

  On the ground, steam tanks rumbled directly into the city.

  Two hundred fully - armed dwarves coordinated seamlessly, executing a textbook - style urban warfare operation featuring tank - infantry cooperation.

  The remaining dwarves sealed off all the intersections.

  Although they were militiamen, the hunting rifles in their hands were no less lethal.

  The disparity between the militiamen and the elite troops lay not in their firearms but in their armor.

  Organized in groups of three, a total of ten mortar teams advanced deeper into the city as the tanks pressed forward.

  While their accuracy left much to be desired, they could at least direct their fire in front of their own troops.

  If they couldn't even manage that, they scarcely deserved to call themselves elite and might as well return to their blacksmithing forges.

  The dwarf leader had joined the battle fray, leaving only Karin and the Dog Captain perched on the back of the Kodo beast, observing the battle.

  With the ogres in the thick of it, the contributions of these two idlers were hardly missed.

  "Look, the goblins are on the verge of collapse."

  The Dog Captain gazed into the distance, his eyes alight with excitement.

  "If we truly vanquish the Hot Sand Consortium, it will be a monumental achievement. The chief will surely be overjoyed when we return!"

  "Perhaps. We've been away for so long. I wonder if the chief is worried..." Karin was a touch hesitant.

  It had originally been a simple trade mission with the dwarves, a round - trip journey expected to take only five days.

  But thus far, more than half a month had elapsed.

  She hoped the chief wouldn't misconstrue her long absence as running off with the ogres...

  As Karin pondered this, she extended her long tongue and slowly licked her lips.

  She wondered what the chief was doing... and if those attendants were providing the chief with a satisfactory massage... Having been away for so long, she truly missed the chief.

  At that very moment, the chief she yearned for rolled over on his bed, scratched his backside, let out a resounding fart, and resumed his thunderous snoring.

  In the meantime, Karlov had crafted a bed for him. He had woven an enormous, solid mat using the main stems of thorns, filled it with the tender shoots of desert thorns that only sprouted in the early hours of the morning, and then layered several types of animal skins on top.

  He had even fashioned a pillow for Gorgin in the same manner and wrapped it in animal skins.

  After Gorgin lay down and tested it, he was so delighted that he rewarded Karlov with a generous chunk of dried meat and permitted him to bathe in the oasis.

  When Gorgin reclined on his new bed, although he promptly flattened the thorn - woven mattress, fortunately, the animal - skin wrapping held firm, preventing it from falling apart.

  Compared to the sandy ground he had slept on for two decades, this was like a luxurious haven for Gorgin.

  For the first time in twenty years, Gorgin finally had a bed of his own. This brought a hint of moisture to his eyes.

  For this very reason, Gorgin secretly resolved that even if this man, who resembled a Russian, never received the Branding of the Rock, he would ensure a swift and merciful end for him once his usefulness was exhausted.

  Lying on his bed, indulging in massages from attendants of various races, munching on dried meat, and perusing the lively chatter and boasts in the world channel, Gorgin for the first time savored the true sweetness of life.

  Although he was somewhat perplexed as to why Karin had yet to return from the trade mission, upon reflecting on the ten ogres led by Nu, his concerns dissipated.

  Among the ogres, Nu was relatively more astute.

  He possessed his own judgment, and if Karin harbored any treacherous thoughts, Nu, with his temperament, would surely crush her without hesitation.

  There was truly nothing to fret about.