"Doubtless. Tell me of them."

"It would take a while to give you enough theoretical knowledge for you to even start a basic transmutation. Do you know about the smallest components of matter? We call them atoms."

"A probabilistic electron cloud surrounding a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons. The number of protons determine the element. The smallest has one proton, the largest which has practical applications has one hundred twenty-six."

He proceeds to recite the names of the known elements in English, in order of their number of protons. He stops after one hundred and eighteen. "There are theoretically others, but they have yet to be safely and stably transmuted alone."

"There is a series after that with half-lives too short to record unaided before ones that are usable appear again." She provides their names in her language.

"Thank you." 

"So how does this alchemy relate?"

"I'm not sure I have the time to teach you."

"Why is that?"

"There is a danger to the west. There's a ... being ... that controls the country. Hundreds of years ago he sacrificed a million people to give us immortality. Soon he will be able to do it again. I need to stop him."

"If he has immortality, what is he after this time?"

"Godhood."

"And you don't trust him with that?"

"No. I thought you might find it obvious that someone who would sacrifice a million people to grant himself immortality would probably not use his power responsibly."

"The Emperor to which the Dark Council answers has sacrificed at least one planet's population in pursuit of his own power and is largely content to remain within his palace, having little effect on the everyday life of the citizenry."

"... at least one planet?" His face falls. 

"He has hidden almost all traces of his history before his ascension, so it is difficult to say for certain."

Hohenheim seems to have barely been listening. Instead he's sitting down in the sand, muttering to himself. "Yes ... maybe afterwards ... we need to work together on ..." He says softly. His eyes are shut.

Talking to himself? Or his passengers? Does he snap out of it soon?

The conversation ends soon enough. When he stops muttering he opens his eyes and rubs them. "I need food. You can accompany me to a place where I know I can find some, if you'd like."

"Very well."

They walk. Hohenheim's pace is steady. "I'm sorry for being -- the reason why these people have become my body --" He fumbles for words. "It is a regret I have been holding ever since the day it was formed. I shouldn't be this way. Every day, they're suffering. More if they can't see or interact with anyone. I've been convincing them to help take down Homunculus, and I promised that afterwards the ones who want to rest will be able to. But to hear of another leader from another world who's worse? It's ... difficult."

"Allowing the ghosts in your head to rule you leads to nothing but trouble."

"They're still sapient. And they have no control over my thoughts or mental state. If I wanted, I could just use them as a power source and keep them separated from the world. I think whatever condition you're thinking of is only superficially similar to mine."

"Perhaps so. You are certainly vastly more composed than I would expect had you acquired them through the means with which I am familiar."