A request about this child with Talent was initiated, and Doctor Lorde waited for a response for several weeks. A response was never received.

Another request was sent in, but the month of silence that followed showed that either the shipments were intercepted on the way to the headquarters of Global, or the query was not showing any results. Communicating with Global had always been finicky and unclear.

It was only on an afternoon a couple of months later that Doctor Lorde decided that finding the family was a fruitless endeavor.

It was quite odd that Global had no information on the subject of this child; they normally had details on just about anything that one could imagine.

Unable to find the family, the office now had a question about what was to be done with this child…

In front of them was a child with Talent enough to become a Worker, had no traceable family, and who needed to be taken care of. No one at the office wished to see this child and his Talent go to waste, yet no one in the office knew a thing about how to raise a child such as this.

And the child gave those at the office quite a headache!

The child could frequently be heard in the infant wing, wailing his lungs out over one thing or another. Nurses would run here and there as they attempted to satiate him, but nothing seemed to silence him. Food, milk, and all manner of toys were offered to this merciless god for judgment, all to no avail.

Thus, the legendary nickname “Noisy” was born.

For several months, the situation continued as such.

Until one day, one very joyous day, a nurse brought in a puzzle toy.

Silence pervaded the office. Finding the silence unusual, the nurses ran to check on the baby in case something had gone wrong, but they found nothing wrong with his health.

What they found instead was the baby silently focused on the toy.

He was so fixated on the toy that his face was contorted into a comical expression. His eyebrows were so furrowed that they almost touched the top of his nose, and he had an exaggerated, baby-grimace on his face. He was focused to an extent that the nurses had a hard time breaking his attention away.

Though they thought that this unusual fixation was odd, the nurses decided that there was no harm in these toys. They may even help to develop the child’s brain.

Partly because they thought his expression was funny - and mostly because they liked the silence it brought - the nurses bought more puzzles for the baby.

The baby never seemed to get bored, that is if he was presented with a new puzzle toy occasionally.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“This behavior is indeed unusual,” Doctor Lorde gave his input, “But I have read that children with adequate Talent often exhibit eccentric behavior. It should be of no harm.”

“Yes Doctor,” this was the head of the infant care facility, “On a related topic, what is to be done with this child? Certainly, he must be sent to a good home; he should be accepted into almost any organization if they are told that he is Talented.”

The doctor hesitated to answer.

This was a question that he had been thinking about ever since it had been determined that the child’s family was unlikely to be found.

This particular child (who had yet to be named, other than the unofficial one used in temporary documents: “Noisy”) had a bright future ahead of him. If he were to be sent to an orphanage, then that potential would likely not be realized. If he were to be sent to a rich family, perhaps he would be better off. Or he would be put to work as a servant. Global, too, was an option, but who really knew what went on over there…

All things considered, there were few options, and none of them were very compelling.

“For now, please continue to care for him. If he is not picked up by a family member by the age of six months, then we will discuss further.”

Doctor Lorde walked out of the infant room and headed towards his next patient. He was known for his efficiency in the medical offices.

“Doctor Lorde! I am so happy to see you.” The face of the patient lit up as soon as he walked into the room.

Doctor Lorde quite admired this patient. She made a living by working as a nanny, and she worked hard. He had been told by several of his more well-off patients that she was the best this town had to offer.

She lived alone, having moved to the town several years ago. She worked her way up, constantly honing the art of nannying, always maintaining a positive attitude, and never being discouraged.

She was considered pretty. She had shoulder length, golden hair, and a proportionate face that wore a constant smile. Her choice of clothes was utilitarian, for the sake of her job: a worn-in pair of thick pants and a long tunic (people in this town were fond of tunics, most wore them regularly).

Today, however, she had dressed up in a pleasant white shirt and a black skirt.

“Hello there, Miss Angelica!” Doctor Lorde greeted enthusiastically, “What is the matter with you today?”

“Nothing major, just a routine checkup.”

“Woah, I guess time really has flown. Time again for your regular checkup?”

“Time already! In fact, I am a little late this time around. I kept needing to postpone my appointments with you because of last-minute work requests.”

“Heh, what a dependable woman!”

Before Angelica could formulate a response, the conversation was interrupted by loud crying noises from off in the distance.

“That baby has such a strong pair of lungs,” said Angelica laughingly, “We can hear him so clearly from all the way over here!”

“Aye, we have been caring for this infant orphan for a little while now. His unofficial name is ‘Noisy’.”

“An apt name indeed. What is his situation? By the sound of it, he should have long been sent home with his family.”

“He lost his mother in childbirth, and his father cannot be found; extended family cannot be located either. We are looking for an appropriate place to send him but have no good options so far.”

“Oh? I have some contacts from my years of work, maybe I could be of some help?”

“Maybe, keep an ear out.” Doctor Lorde answered in a noncommittal way.

The conversation between the two eventually wound down as the checkup was finished. Angelica seemed a little unwilling to let Doctor Lorde go, but he had others to care for, so he insisted on leaving.

Standing outside the front of the office, Angelica was talking absentmindedly to herself while pulling at the uncomfortable neck of her white shirt.

“I got all dressed up, and he still doesn’t even look at me… arrgh.”

While on his way to another room, Doctor Lorde sneezed.