Nu, clad in resplendent heavy armor, shouldered a triple-barreled machine gun with his left hand and brandished a menacing spiked club in his right.

  Standing regally behind Gorgin, his pride was palpable.

  As the sole ogre Gorgin had selected for this journey, Nu's elation shone brightly.

  His chest swelled, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

  Gorgin, no longer the one who once wrapped a tattered cloth around his waist, now wore a pair of sturdy shorts crafted from animal skins by the numerous dwarf women in the tribe.

  For his upper body, Gorgin still favored the freedom of being bare-chested. Born an ogre, he had gone shirtless for two decades, and fabric felt foreign against his skin.

  Besides, his thick, resilient skin and layers of natural fat served as a shield, making additional upper-body protection nearly unnecessary.

  Having given the heavy armor to Nu, Gorgin had no intention of taking it back. As chief, if Nu could handle the enemy, Gorgin saw no need to intervene.

  Conversely, if Nu faced an opponent beyond his abilities, the armor likely wouldn't help Gorgin either.

  Since Gorgin took leadership, the traditional ogre battle-charge model, where the chief led from the front, had gradually changed.

  The ogres of the Dragon's Lair Tribe now preferred coordinated group attacks.

  This shift was based on Gorgin remaining the most powerful ogre among them. One could be laid-back or lazy, but incompetence wasn't tolerated.

  Gorgin designated this airship as the flagship of the Dragon's Lair Tribe and named it [The Dreadnought], a name fitting its fearsome look.

  His aim was clear: to strike fear into the hearts of all desert inhabitants who saw this imposing vessel.

  The entire crew operating The Dreadnought was made up of dwarves.

  From the skilled gunners manning the cannons to the experienced helmsman steering the ship and the hardworking worker stoking the boiler, every role was filled by a dwarf.

  The main fuel for generating steam was the abundant main stems of desert thorns, which filled the third layer of the gondola.

  These thorns, along with cacti, were vital resources that sustained life in the harsh desert.

  "Are you completely sure those four huge bombs won't go off early?" Gorgin asked, his voice showing a bit of worry.

  Kolber, with a serious expression, nodded firmly.

  "Chief, don't worry. I personally supervised every part of the goblins' modification work. The safety mechanisms are foolproof."

  "I trust you, Kolber, but those goblins... they're another story," Gorgin muttered, frowning.

  "Chief, let me show you something," Kolber said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out four palm-sized iron plates.

  "What are these?" Gorgin asked, curious.

  "To be honest, Chief, I share your doubts about the goblins.

  So, I came up with a two-tier safety system," Kolber explained, tossing the iron plates in his hand for emphasis.

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  "These four bombs are impact-triggered. But they can only be activated when all four of these iron plates are inserted into their safety slots. "

  "Otherwise, even if exposed to intense heat, they won't explode. "

  "Only a blast as powerful as your mother's Fireburst Spell could detonate them without proper activation. "

  "I guarantee the safety of this flagship with my life."

  Gorgin's tense expression relaxed, replaced by a satisfied grin.

  "Hahaha! Smart thinking, Kolber! I like it!"

  "Then let's not waste any more time. Set a course for the Second City of the Hot Sand Consortium and their headquarters. Full speed ahead!"

  Gorgin commanded, his voice booming with authority.

  Kolber rushed to the speaking tube and relayed the order.

  "Attention all crew! The chief orders us to advance at full speed!"

  With a hissing sound, a powerful jet of scalding steam shot out from the back of the airship.

  The two large propellers, which had been turning steadily, now spun faster, pushing The Dreadnought forward at an impressive speed.

  Gorgin estimated that, despite its huge size, the airship was speeding through the sky at about eighty kilometers per hour.

  In contrast, an ogre on foot, taking big steps, could cover only about a dozen kilometers per hour.

  Considering rest periods and night stops, an ogre could travel around one hundred and fifty kilometers in a day.

  The trip from the Dragon's Lair Tribe to the Third City of the Hot Sand Consortium, which took an ogre ten days on foot, could be completed by The Dreadnought in less than a day.

  Moreover, the airship's great endurance allowed it to fly non-stop, day and night.

  Standing at the bow of the ship, Gorgin looked down at the vast area below.

  The ground seemed far away, at least a thousand meters down.

  Beyond the airship's potential as a powerful weapon of war, Gorgin enjoyed the new convenience it brought.

  No longer would he have to endure the tough and tiring marches across the desert. This was pure luxury!

  A wave of excitement filled Gorgin, and he let out a loud laugh.

  "Hahahahaha!!!"

  His boisterous laughter echoed through the air, mixing with the rhythmic chugging of the steam engine.

  As expected, they set off in the morning, and by the break of dawn the next day, The Dreadnought flew high above the Third City of the Hot Sand Consortium under the Dragon's Lair Tribe's control.

  Gorgin chose not to lower the altitude to talk to his mother.

  His priority was to get the treasure chests in the Second City and the Hot Sand headquarters first, planning to come back for a more relaxed visit later.

  On the ground, Horne, who had been sound asleep, suddenly woke up, her four eyes opening wide.

  She came out of her shed and looked up at the sky.

  Horne's left head exclaimed, "Should we shoot that thing down? We could probably reach it with a good shot!"

  Horne's right head replied, "No way. I have a really bad feeling about this. If we shoot it down, we'll really regret it."

  Horne's left head scoffed, "Why are you always so scared? If we shoot, we shoot. What's there to be afraid of? Get ready to cast the Fireburst Spell. Now!"

  Horne's right head stubbornly refused, "I won't do it. Just the thought makes me feel sick."

  With that, Horne turned and went back into the shed, her left head still complaining while her right head ignored it.

  From the first light of dawn until it started getting dark, The Dreadnought continued its journey and finally reached the Second City of the Hot Sand Consortium.

  The bases of the two propellers began to turn, tilting the fan blades downward.

  The airship started to slowly come down.

  "Chief, it looks like the oasis below has been taken over," a jackal reported, his sharp eyes looking over the gunwale of the gondola.

  "Probably some local desert creatures. They don't seem to be an intelligent species," Gorgin said casually, lying in his shed without getting up.

  "Drive them out," Gorgin ordered.

  "Understood, Chief," Kolber replied. He quickly went to the speaking tube and gave the command.

  "The Dreadnought will keep descending. Gunners on the starboard side, adjust your cannons and get ready to fire."

  Each of the three cannons on the right side of the second deck was manned by a team of three dwarves.

  With practiced speed, they adjusted the angles of the cannons and loaded the shells.

  "Fire!" Kolber shouted.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The cannons fired one after another, their shells curving through the air and landing on the sandy edges of the oasis.

  The explosions, while not hurting the desert inhabitants, caused a sense of panic.

  It wasn't fully dark yet, and a faint glow of the setting sun still remained in the sky.

  The Dreadnought, its huge shape blocking the remaining light, came down threateningly, giving off an air of power. The fearsome, open-mouthed emblem on the airship made it even more intimidating.

  The desert creatures that had made the oasis their home, scared by the sudden show of force, ran away in all directions.

  At the foot of a hill, a man stared in disbelief at the descending airship.

  "Holy crap! Is that a Kirov? This is crazy!"

  he exclaimed, his voice full of wonder as he typed quickly in the world channel.

  "What the hell are those gun barrels for?" he wondered out loud.

  BOOM!

  "Damn! What the... is that an iron block?"

  he shouted, his eyes wide with shock as he saw the impact.

  Splat~