This is good. I was feeling sorry for Alma when she was simply dropped out and Meria turned her whole attention to Lyle, who could connect to the archive. Of course it was natural since that archive is Meria's way of alchemy, so in a sense it would be a waste of time for her to be the teacher for someone not able to use it. But Alma immediately liked Meria a whole lot, so it was a pity. If Meria can give a bit of her time to Alma, for her to become a good "normal" alchemist by the current standards of that world, it will probably be enough for Alma. That being said, after they spend more time together and Alma's skills are refined, will it truly still be impossible for her to connect to the archive? Wasn't it all about synchronisation or something like that?
Unless Alma eventually forms her own archive to pass down to her future apprentices. It wouldn't be anything like Meria's archive, but after generations, it would be worth a lot. Plus it would be accessible by some who couldn't sync with Meria's archive.