Whenever the topic turned to the benefits of serving in the military, the captain became more animated than ever, to the point that even the other people waiting nearby, figuring they had nothing better to do, casually grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and joined in.
During this process, someone suddenly brought something up.
"But when all's said and done, you Elves have it good. If you want to serve, you don't have to go through all the trouble we do. You belong to a special military branch, so once you sign up, you can go straight in."
The Wood Elves were stunned when they heard that, but they didn't take it too seriously and merely replied offhandedly.
"We can't serve either, can we? Don't you have to be a formal citizen of Great Zhou first?"
Unexpectedly, the man immediately replied...
"What's so difficult about that? Great Zhou's policies are fairly lenient. As long as you're willing to work hard, everyone has a chance."
At that point, the man pondered for a moment.
"Think about it. Even prisoners of war who were captured after losing battles can obtain formal citizenship after working honestly for a few years. Compared with those prisoners of war, you haven't committed any crimes, and you've been working here for quite some time. Why not apply for formal citizenship and give it a try?"
"Would that really work?"
The Wood Elves were still somewhat hesitant.
The man, however, waved it off.
"Trying won't cost you anything. Once you succeed, even if you don't join the military, with your status as members of the Elf race, you'll count as special talents. Great Zhou has plenty of better-paying jobs available to you. Wouldn't that be better than working in a logging team or a timber-processing factory?"
"..."
They