Studying was a dull practice. There was no way around it.
As driven as Liam was, memorizing lists of ingredients, their descriptions, and their matches couldn't be compelling. It was even rather tedious, but he kept at it more than he had ever done in the past, his stance bordering on obsession.
Studying alone couldn't make Liam a master, but he needed that theoretical foundation so that practice could build proper skills on top of it.
Grooming alchemists wasn't cheap, and solid knowledge would prevent avoidable mistakes, waste fewer ingredients, and streamline training into a more affordable shape.
Moreover, Liam knew how much he needed that foundation in his case. His unique talent demanded a new alchemical frontier just to hope to fulfill his potential, and those practices were extremely expensive to pursue.
Entire batches of ingredients would go to waste merely to cross options off a vague strategy, each mistake perfecting it until it gained a solid, reliable shape.
