The Dog Captain grumbled under his breath.

  “Why are you always so quick to say ‘kill them’ at the drop of a hat? Who on earth did you learn this from?”

  Karin let out a cold snort.

  “I learned it from the chief. If you have a problem with that, go take it up with him.”

  The Dog Captain promptly shrank his head, looking rather sheepish.

  “The chief is an ogre; he couldn't care less about these slaves. But we're different, right? Wouldn't it be better to keep them and wring out every bit of value? Killing them all is such a waste. All you'd get is some dried meat.”

  “Hmph.”

  Karin let out a soft scoff.

  “That's an interesting thought. Alright then, let's hear your idea.”

  The dwarf leader, standing nearby, was equally intrigued.

  This was the first time he'd encountered such an odd - thinking gnoll.

  The Dog Captain didn't hold back, figuring it was better if the dwarf leader knew his plan.

  “Look, the head honcho of the Hot Sand Consortium has hightailed it out of here with his cronies. There are only about two or three thousand slaves left. ”

  “These slaves aren't a big deal on their own, but it would be a crying shame to let this prime oasis go to waste.”

  He rubbed his paws together, his eyes glinting.

  “This is a top - notch oasis. We can't just leave it for that scoundrel of a goblin to come back and stage a comeback, can we?”

  Karin furrowed her brow in thought. “What you say makes sense, but this place is simply too far from our tribe to manage effectively.”

  “The second city and this current headquarters are a fair distance away, true. But what about the third city we passed earlier?” The Dog Captain pointed back in the direction they'd come from.

  “It's not realistic to haul all these slaves back to our tribe. However, the third city isn't too far from the Dragon's Lair Tribe. It's just a little over a ten - day walk. And if we get the goblins to tinker with the tracked vehicles, we could be there in two or three days.”

  Karin's eyes lit up as she caught on.

  “So, you're suggesting we seize the oasis in the Hot Sand Consortium's third city, the one closest to us, and put these slaves to work there?”

  She sounded skeptical.

  “But is that even feasible? How can you be sure these slaves will toe the line?”

  The Dog Captain waved his hand dismissively.

  “I definitely couldn't manage it, but the ogres can. One or two heavily - armored ogres could easily keep these slaves in check. Now that we have goblin craftsmen and a smelting furnace, we could become self - sufficient. ”

  “Then, we could use that oasis to support the Dragon's Lair Tribe. The ogres' hunting grounds would expand, and we'd have slaves at our beck and call whenever we need them.”

  “ If the chief has any grand plans, we'd be well - positioned to carry them out. And if the chief decides he doesn't need them, we can always deal with them later. What do you think?”

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  Despite claiming it was an unformed idea, it was clear the Dog Captain had given this a great deal of thought.

  The dwarf leader stared at the talkative gnoll in disbelief. So this was the hidden strength of the Dragon's Lair Tribe... or so it seemed.

  But wait, was this really a gnoll? The Dragon's Lair Tribe was supposed to be an ogre tribe.

  It was one thing to have a crafty succubus, but how on earth did a gnoll, practically a wild dog, come up with such elaborate schemes?

  A shiver ran down the dwarf leader's spine.

  Was the Dragon's Lair Tribe on the verge of expansion? The oasis in the third city of the Hot Sand Consortium was a full ten - day journey from the Dragon's Lair Tribe, while his Giant Sand City was only three days away.

  If the Dragon's Lair Tribe ever set its sights on Giant Sand City...

  The dwarf leader glanced at the ogres, who had now calmed down, and then thought of the even more fearsome ogre chief.

  There was no way they could stand against them. If that scenario played out, Giant Sand City wouldn't stand a chance.

  By now, Karin and the Dog Captain had wrapped up their conversation.

  Karin thought the Dog Captain's proposal had merit.

  Making use of the slaves and the oasis was far better than leaving them for other races or the goblins. With the goblin craftsmen, the tracked vehicles could be put to good use.

  Karin requested a few tracked vehicles from the dwarves to transport the goblin craftsmen and their tools.

  As for the slaves, their hands were bound, and they were made to march behind on foot.

  The combined forces had arrived in grand style and were leaving with an equally impressive procession, leaving behind only the ruins of the Hot Sand Consortium.

  The Dragon's Lair Tribe and Giant Sand City had thoroughly divvied up the spoils of the Hot Sand goblins' headquarters.

  The Dragon's Lair Tribe took the craftsmen and slaves, while Giant Sand City claimed the materials and stockpiled resources.

  After the division was complete, the dwarf leader bid farewell to Karin and the Dog Captain.

  He had managed to control a small number of goblin drivers. With a fleet of goblin - made tracked vehicles at his disposal, he now had a highly mobile force.

  He needed to rush back and convert these resources into combat strength and city defenses. There was no other choice; his neighbor was simply too intimidating.

  The Dragon's Lair Tribe, burdened with a large number of slaves, had to move at a slower pace. The ogres strutted around, full of pride, as if they'd achieved a resounding victory.

  The slaves were terrified.

  When they were under the goblins' thumb, life was tough, but at least they knew what was expected of them.

  Now that they were in the hands of the ogres...

  They could only imagine being nothing more than potential food.

  As for rebelling, the thought never crossed their minds. They had become slaves precisely because they couldn't fend off the Hot Sand Consortium's slaver gangs.

  How could they, these half - starved slaves, possibly stand up to the ogres who had just demolished the Hot Sand Consortium's headquarters?

  When they reached the ruins of the third city of the Hot Sand Consortium, Karin sent the Dog Captain back to the tribe in a tracked vehicle to deliver the news, while she remained with the ogres to await the chief's specific orders.

  She had initially considered going back herself, but knowing that the ogres wouldn't listen to the Dog Captain, she decided to stay put.

  The Dog Captain returned to the tribe with a vehicle filled with goblin engineers.

  Armed with his flame weapon, he wasn't the least bit worried about these unarmed goblin craftsmen causing trouble.

  With machinery, goblins were a force to be reckoned with. Without it, even the lowly gnolls looked down on them.

  By the time the Dog Captain reached the tribe, night was falling. From a distance, he could see the smelting furnace, surrounded by a thick wall of thorns, billowing heat and smoke.

  The patrolling gnolls had already informed Gorgin of his return. Gorgin sat by the campfire, waiting with an air of authority.

  As soon as the tracked vehicle came to a stop at the tribe's entrance, the Dog Captain tumbled out of the passenger seat and scurried towards Gorgin, his tail between his legs.

  “Chief... the all - powerful chief! Your most humble doorman has returned!”

  The Dog Captain made a dramatic slide on his knees, leaving two long trails in the sand.

  He grabbed Gorgin's toes and wailed, his voice filled with such pathos that it was heart - rending.

  Gorgin gave his foot a sharp flick, sending the Dog Captain flying.

  “Very well! The two of you have really outdone yourselves.” Gorgin's tone was neutral, but it sent a jolt of fear through the Dog Captain, who nearly soiled himself.

  “I sent you to strike a deal with the dwarves. It was a three - day journey, and you were supposed to be back in six days for the round trip. ”

  “But you've been gone for a month! Little hyena, for the sake of the Branding of the Rock, I'll give you one chance to explain. If you can't satisfy me, you and the succubus will be tonight's dinner for the slaves.”

  The Dog Captain's bladder gave way.

  Despite his bravado outside, in front of Gorgin, he was nothing more than a trembling cur.