The Dog Captain held nothing back and laid out every detail of the operation.

  He recounted all the conversations and ideas he and the succubus Karin had shared.

  There was no way he dared to conceal anything, and the Branding ensured his honesty.

  Both he and Karin, despite their personal inclinations, were wholeheartedly dedicated to the tribe.

  Gorgin listened, a look of bewilderment on his face.

  “So, you two incited the Giant Sand City to completely obliterate the Hot Sand Consortium? You brought back nearly a hundred goblin craftsmen and over two thousand slaves?”

  The Dog Captain knelt reverently. “Yes, great chief. Karin, along with Lord Nu and the other ogres, is currently at the Hot Sand oasis where you once led an expedition. They're waiting for your further instructions.”

  Gorgin was a bit dazed. “Well, you've been gone a month and achieved quite a lot. But I have to ask... what was the point of all this?”

  The Dog Captain looked up, his eyes resolute. “To ease your burdens, Chief, to build up the tribe, to let you live as you wish, and to make the tribe the supreme power in the desert!”

  “Bullshit!”

  Gorgin kicked the Dog Captain away. “Do you think I don't have the might to claim those oases myself? Do you think there's anything you can think of that I can't? ”

  “Look around. How many powers that span the oases in this desert have endured? All I wanted was to set up a simple service area. Where did you get the idea that I'm aiming for hegemony? ”

  “Hegemony is a tiresome business. With what you've done, how will our neighbors perceive me? How am I supposed to conduct business from now on?”

  Gorgin's tirade frightened the Dog Captain so much that he wet himself again.

  “Are these the goblin craftsmen you mentioned?” Gorgin pointed at the trembling goblins on the tracked vehicle.

  “Y - yes, great chief. This is just a portion. There are more with the main group,” the Dog Captain replied, his tail between his legs.

  “Make them disembark and settle them outside the tribe. There are materials there. Have them modify this tracked vehicle. I want to be on my way early tomorrow morning. As for you two acting without authorization, I'll deal with you later.”

  Gorgin waved dismissively.

  The Dog Captain, relieved, quickly directed the goblins to get off the vehicle. He settled them beside the smelting furnace.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Since it was close to the furnace, they wouldn't have to worry about the cold at night. The orcs and trolls already working there were curious about the new arrivals.

  Inside the thorn - walled area, iron pillars were stacked.

  “You've all heard. You have one night. If this tracked vehicle isn't modified by tomorrow morning...”

  The Dog Captain's eyes turned cold. “I might survive, but you won't.”

  He then turned to the curious orcs.

  “These are the chief's orders. You'll assist the goblin craftsmen.”

  “Oh, and by the way...” The gnoll grinned maliciously. “These are goblin craftsmen from the Hot Sand Consortium's headquarters.”

  The orcs and trolls tensed up. The Dog Captain then addressed the goblins.

  “And these are the slaves your consortium's slaver gangs captured.”

  The goblins immediately shrank back.

  “Clear instructions: the goblin craftsmen mustn't die, and don't disturb the chief's rest.”

  The gnoll turned and walked away.

  After a few steps, he stopped, surprised by the lack of commotion behind him.

  “Don't you want to take revenge?”

  The orcs and trolls continued their work.

  “That was in the past. Now, whether goblin or orc, we're all the chief's slaves. Completing the chief's task is our top priority. We're furious, we'd love to tear them apart, but the chief's orders come first,” a burly orc rumbled.

  He was the one who had stopped the others from attacking.

  “Oh?” The Dog Captain was taken aback. He hadn't expected such loyalty from an orc slave. “Interesting.”

  As the Dog Captain left, he thought he saw a faint glow on the orc's left arm.

  “Back to work.”

  The strong orc shot a menacing glare at the goblins and resumed his work.

  He yearned to avenge the past, but he knew they needed the goblins' expertise to modify the vehicle.

  After over a month in the Dragon's Lair Tribe, he had developed a sense of belonging.

  Despite being at the bottom of the hierarchy and having to work hard, it was a far cry from his life under the goblins.

  Here, the ogres were lazy and didn't torment them, unlike the sadistic goblins.

  He began to understand why the gnolls and the succubus had received the Branding. The ogre tribe, terrifying as it seemed, had its redeeming qualities.

  Thankfully, the goblins had their tools. With the orcs' help, they managed to modify the tracked vehicle overnight, though it was a close - call.

  The next morning, after breakfast, Gorgin strolled out with two attendants: He Qingqing, a former Blue Star school beauty, and the elf Litte.

  Litte was one of the most attractive among the elf attendants, exuding elegance.

  He Qingqing, thanks to the natural advantages of Blue Star human skin and her sheltered life in the Pleasure Pavilion, with regular baths, still had fair, smooth skin.

  As a chief who valued comfort, he couldn't be a proper chief without attendants to massage him on the go. In his past life on Blue Star, he'd had no such luxury.

  Now that he was chief in this strange land, why not indulge?

  He chose a goblin craftsman as the driver and set off with the attendants, carrying ample dried meat and water.

  The modified tracked vehicle had an enlarged and reinforced rear compartment, and the goblins had crafted a large metal chair for Gorgin.

  The steam - powered vehicle rumbled towards the oasis, billowing white steam.

  As the Dog Captain had predicted, while it had taken ten days for the ogres to march on foot when hired by the dwarves, the tracked vehicle made the journey in just three days.

  Adding the three days it took the Dog Captain to report back, six days had passed since Karin, the ogres, and the slaves arrived at the oasis.

  In those six days, the place had been a hive of activity.

  Karin was in overall command, the ogres supervised, and nearly three thousand slaves of various races worked together to build numerous work sheds on the ruins of the Hot Sand Consortium.

  The leftover materials from the dwarves proved useful.

  When Gorgin arrived, he beheld rows of neatly - arranged work sheds. Karin, the commander - in - chief, knelt at the outermost edge, awaiting Gorgin's verdict.