With such a requirement, unless one entered alchemy from a young age, most people would be deterred, preferring other auxiliary occupations that required less memorization.
"Well, we're the kings for a reason." Siar said with a laugh, slightly bragging.
"It's a deserved reputation." Minos replied, before getting absorbed by the book, his eyes quickly scanning through everything.
After reading a few pages, Minos discretely activated his Omniscient Eyes before immediately scanning through the entire book, downloading the information onto his brain.
His brain was already used to such treatment, so even though this book contained a massive amount of wisdom, Minos's mind was unaffected, absorbing it like a sponge in water.
If Siar was to find out that Minos had memorized this entire book after a single glance, she might just die right away from shock, but fortunately she was completely unaware of the going ons, just thinking Minos was focused on studying.
Normally she wouldn't advise someone to waste their time at such an age, but she already acknowledged Minos's brilliance, so she felt it shouldn't hurt.
Noticing that Siar was silently watching him, Minos pretended to keep reading the book despite having already memorized its contents.
While he was reading on the surface, he was secretly running through this new information, understanding each piece bit by bit.
Memorizing wasn't the same as understanding, but with Minos's Omniscient Eyes, demonic intelligence, and split souls, his understanding was also completely incomprehensible.
Each page could be understood almost immediately before moving onto the next, allowing Minos to comprehend thousands of pages in only a single night.
While he was doing that, Siar had finally fallen asleep, her body clear exhausted from all the movement the day prior.
Seeing Siar fall asleep, Minos didn't join her, not only because he didn't trust the current environment, but more importantly because he still wanted to learn.
With his current cultivation, staying awake for weeks at a time was no problem, so a single night was naturally not worth mentioning.
…
Despite this strange realm being separated from the real world, it still had a 'pseudo' sun and moon, making it nearly indistinguishable from the real world.
Minos would naturally love to understand how this system worked, but realms were far beyond his level currently, so he focused on his alchemy knowledge.
The sudden glimmer of light from beyond the horizon broke Minos's concentration for a moment, reminding him that a new day had officially started.
Seeing that Siar was still in a deep sleep, her breath steady, Minos decided to wait a few more hours before heading off, knowing that rest was critical for her at the moment.
He had already finished understanding this book, but he still kept running through all the different herbs and plants, using his primitive alchemy knowledge to try and come up with his own theories.
He already felt like he could create some One-Moon pills, though he'd naturally needed a furnace and some materials before he could confirm his level.
But again, this was neither the time nor place, so Minos could only wait until he left the realm before he formally entered the path of alchemy.
While he was thinking that, a soft hum grabbed his attention, Siar's eyes slowly fluttering open as she looked around in anxiety before calming down as she saw Minos.
"Morning." Minos said with a smile.
"Morning…" Siar said weakly, her condition having not really improved over the night.
"Since you're up, let's get moving." Minos said, before gently placing Siar over his shoulder and climbing back down the tree.
Siar naturally had no complaints, just happy that Minos hadn't abandoned her in the night.
As the two began walking again, Minos couldn't help but start asking Siar more questions about alchemy, which she was more than happy to answer.
She didn't like feeling indebted to people, so in a way, teaching Minos could count as slightly paying him back for all his help.
Since she felt like she owed him, she didn't hold back at all, giving him access to information most alchemy apprentices would risk their lives to obtain.
Minos naturally didn't know that Siar was disclosing so much to him, just focused on absorbing her lessons fully.
Siar had also long since realized that Minos wasn't normal at all, so even though Siar's level was far more advanced than his at the moment, he still occasionally asked questions that could even stump her.
Not only that, he would even propose his own thoughts and ideas that she was shocked to find out were even more advanced and nuanced then her own.
At first she just felt like she was paying back Minos, but as the conversation between the two continued, it felt more like peers discussing on an equal level, exchanging insights between each other.
Not only had Minos's level improved tremendously, but even Siar had felt some slight improvement, feeling that it wouldn't be long before she could finally make her first Six-Moon pill.
As a genius, she always felt slightly out of place, like she was walking alone in a world only she understood, but meeting Minos, she suddenly didn't feel so alone anymore.
In her dark lonely world, a new figure suddenly appeared, his bright white hair and smile adding light to her darkness.
While they were talking, Siar didn't even realize that a smile had unconsciously formed on her face, the first time she had truly smiled in years.
"Thank you." Siar suddenly said.
"Huh? For what?" Minos asked, confused by the sudden thanks.
"For reminding me that the world isn't so lonely…" Siar answered, a gentle smile still on her face.
It only took a moment for Minos to understand what Siar meant, so turning his face towards her, he smiled and said.
"You're welcome."
Looking into each other's eyes, the two couldn't help but laugh for a moment before they continued their conversation, not only talking about alchemy anymore, but all sorts of things that interested them.
"You like music as well?" Minos asked, as the two's conversation entered this direction.
"Well I like listening, but unfortunately my talent in that regard is a bit limited, not to mention I spend most of my day studying alchemy, so I don't really have the time to learn." Siar answered.
"That's where you misunderstand. Music isn't something you learn, rather it's something you feel. If you just try to study it like you study alchemy, you may become good, even great, but you'll never be amazing."
"Really? You seem to know a lot about music. Are you a musician by any chance?" Siar asked with interest.
"You could say that, though I have no formal training, so I don't dare to call myself a musician."
"Aren't you the one who said music isn't something you learn? Since you don't learn it, what's wrong with calling you a musician?" Siar said with a giggle.
"You're right, I guess everyone is a musician in a way, as long as they have a song to sing." Minos smiled.
"Well then Mr. Musician, how about you play me a tune?" Siar asked with another giggle.
"Well, since the crowd demands it, who am I to deny them?" Minos smiled, causing Siar to laugh again.
Tapping his spatial ring, Minos pulled out his wooden flute, his eyes slightly melancholy as he rubbed his finger across this flute that Tinka had handcrafted for him.
Looking at the little fingerprints and marks Rinka had left, he also thought about his daughter, his mood suddenly no longer as joyous as a moment ago.
"Something wrong?" Siar asked, noticing Minos's sudden shift in mood.
"Nothing, I was just caught in memories." Minos said with a smile, though this smile felt a little empty compared to the one's he had given before.
Despite wanting to ask more, Siar felt like this wasn't her place, so she kept silent as she watched Minos put the flute to his lips.
Even though his mood was low, Minos decided to play an upbeat song, not wanting to worsen his already sad emotions.
Music was all about the state of mind, so playing an upbeat song while feeling depressed would naturally affect the quality of the music, but Minos was already a master of the Heart Path, so his control over these things were already immaculate.
Rather than his mood affecting the music, the music actually affected him, clearing away his sad thoughts and bringing him back to normal.
As the sound left the flute, Siar couldn't help but be absorbed by it, her thoughts wandering as she began daydreaming about another world.
With each shift in note, it was like her environment changed, from a snowy tundra to a vast waterfall that reached into the heavens.
She felt like an adventurer who had trekked through every landscape known to man, discovering every secret and unraveling every mystery.
By the time the music finished, she could only open her eyes in slight shock, only just realizing that everything she had just seen was only an illusion conjured up by Minos's incredible music.