He keeps finding me

1.21

Noah just got a letter from Professor Maclaren that he is now at stump level. His achievements had apparently impressed a lot of people, and the Earth ability users now had a lot of work to do. Even Zenix helped in the field, keeping the crops fresh and healthy. He had to do a lot of digging, but he found that this was way better than mopping blood and feces. Now he is content watering the crops, beginning to find his place among these people. Noah wanted to go, to admire his new workplace, but as he walked to Professor Maclaren's office, he saw it being cleared out. With a face full of questions he walked to one of the workers that was overseeing the progress.
"Excuse me, could you tell me why the office of Professor Maclaren is being emptied?" Noah asked the tall but scrawny man.
He turned around to face Noah, "She is dead, so we are taking all these materials to the people who have higher clearance."
Noah was a bit shocked, to say the least, 'How could a researcher, who was at least twig if not leaf die? I mean she could order me around and give me a new position, a higher level. Does that mean that after leaf there could be other levels? Higher positions?'

Noah looked cutesy at the man and asked with big eyes, "Where should I go then? I was about to be promoted to the next level..." Then he looked kind of sad to the ground, the man looking at him was reminded of his little brother.
He thought to himself it was a blessing that there still was a soul that was untainted from the world around."How about you go to the end of this hallway until you see a purple door, that is where we got our orders from. Maybe they can help you with that problem of yours?" Noah nodded and walked by the people moving the chairs and everything. He walked to the end of the hallway, and just like the man said there was a purple door.
Noah knocked on the door and he heard a female voice saying, "Come in." He opened the door and walked inside, the office was a bit old-fashioned not at all like the office of Professor Maclaren, or at least what was her office. This office was decked with dark wooden furniture, and kind of looked like it was out of the Victorian era. Even the couch was right out of a Victorian household, with dark wooden edges, and a white padding.

In the seat behind the dark wooden table sat an old woman, she had black hair but you could see the beginning of black roots. She looked at him in a mix of confusion and annoyance.
Noah stood upright and asked, "I was supposed to be promoted today, but I have come to know that Professor Maclaren is dead."
The woman nodded, "Name, current level, the thing you did, and give me your cards."
He nodded as he walked forward to the table giving her his ID-Card and Key card, "Noah Valentine, the current level is gras, I researched a way for the dirt to be usable again."
The lady then looked up in surprise, "Ahh yes, you developed in a different direction, the one which is only available for the leaf and above people. But it is understandable, and you did a very good job. That is why I will let you move not only one level up but two. Now that you have twig-level clearance, you will be getting a computer card. This computer card will show you everything you need to know and also have information about the levels that come after the leaf level."

With that, she gave him his two upgraded cards and one computer card, it was white with a dark blue circle, and on the back was a black magnetic stripe. Seems like the computers have a card scan device.
Noah bowed a little and left with a "Thank you, ma'am." He walked to the next crossing corridor and turned left, straight forward, and left again. There he saw the bright green doors, even the air smelled fresher. He swiped his card and walked inside. Many people looked at him with calculating gazes. Then a person walked out of the crowd, they had brown shoulder-length hair and one piercing brown-green eye.
As they wore an eyepatch over their left eye, reaching out a hand they said, "Hello, I am Mills. I use they/them pronouns, just saying." Then Mills winked and walked Noah around his new workplace. Mills was very chill, they were always making some kind of jokes, which were not funny. But out of courtesy, Noah smiled at each of their jokes or laughed a little. Then Noah had to ask where the computers would be, as he still needed to figure out the information and wanted to know the levels after leaf.
Mills smiled and showed Noah to the computers then they said their 'goodbyes'. Mills explained briefly where Noah could find them if Noah had something to discuss.