Shoutout to Bruh_Vista for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!

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Watching paint dry. Watching grass grow. Watching mountains crumble to dust as they withstand the test of time.

Jean wondered if either of those activities would be more entertaining and fruitful than what she was currently attempting.

"What am I even doing right now?" she wondered aloud.

She was presently sitting on a rock that she had manually moved from a distance to a location precisely 100 metres away from the exact boundary where the plague-affected region ends. She sat with her head resting on her palms, lost in thought. Kili sat behind the rock, working through one of the many workbooks they had brought along.

"Did you say something, Big Sis?" Kili asked absentmindedly, tapping the pencil against her forehead in deep thought.

"I think I've taken on more than I can handle," Jean admitted. "What was I even thinking? That I could solve a problem that hordes of mages far more knowledgeable and powerful than me have failed to solve?"

"Is there anything I can do?" Kili asked, diverting her attention from her workbook.

Jean wanted to answer 'Yes!', but the words wouldn't come out. She shook her head and sent Kili back to her work. Jean knew deep down that Kili held the solution to this problem. The Universal Panacea Physique was supposed to be the ultimate cure... or so they claimed. There was no certainty that whatever monstrosity the Plague Emperor had unleashed here could be countered by Kili's unique physique. Jean had no intention of putting Kili to the test and risking her uncertain fate.

Moreover, if Jean relied on Kili to solve her problems, how could she confront the Plague Emperor himself?

Of course, she conveniently ignored the fact that there was an entire realm separating the Plague Emperor's domain, where the plague was unleashed, from Jean's own cultivation realm!

Jean slapped her cheeks with both hands to refocus her thoughts. "Let's start from the beginning!"

The first thing Jean did was move Kili beyond the artificial ravine that separated the quarantined region. There, she set up a temporary shelter in a concealed and elevated location to ensure the little girl's safety. Then, Jean returned to the boundary and began setting up her work tent. Despite the extensive research conducted by the Rasmus Clan on the Plague of Dark Cleansing, Jean realized that their approach had been flawed from the start.

The disease was highly irregular, so it couldn't be treated like a typical ailment. For one, it didn't spread. The Plague Emperor unleashed a spell, and everything within his mana domain fell victim to the Plague. Anyone or anything that entered the affected region suffered a similar fate. Even after years, the region affected by the plague had not expanded, but the Empire was still fearful enough to quarantine and physically isolate the area to prevent any chance of spreading. The plague affected animals, plants, and even the land itself. Recognizing these three aspects, the mages who came to this region to combat the plague approached the problem from three angles: finding a cure for infected animals (including humans), healing the ailing plants, and revitalizing the land. This had also been Rasmus Clan's approach.

However, Jean hypothesized that this was likely where everyone was going wrong. Instead of tackling the problem in separate parts, it had to be addressed as a whole. The disease was singular, and its cure should be singular as well. But this was easier said than done, as it was notoriously elusive. It constantly evolved and adapted whenever it sensed a threat. People speculated that it was alive, which was why a significant portion of documented 'cures' were essentially highly potent poisons meant to flush out the system. But the disease wasn't truly alive, nor completely dead, as its sentience was unquestionable.

Jean cautiously approached the barren region until her mana domain barely extended into it. She drew out her wand and levitated a clean plate in her hand towards the diseased area, gently placing it down. Then, with a wave of her wand, she lifted a few grains of soil from the ground and deposited them onto the plate. Finally, she cast the |Inspect| spell and meticulously examined the sample on the plate to identify the nature of the illness. Understanding how it worked was crucial.

This wasn't Jean's first encounter with the Plague of Dark Cleansing. A significant portion of her early years had been dedicated to fighting it, although she lacked the necessary tools back then. But now, she possessed the tools (her cultivation) and the knowledge to tackle it.historical

"This isn't a virus, as I initially hypothesized," Jean muttered. "Although that is inconclusive, considering my earlier observations were heavily leaning towards that hypothesis."

Her mana senses focused on the blackish-green particles floating among the sandy soil. This was the Plague. She retrieved a small sample of healthy soil from outside the barren region and slowly placed it onto the plate. Immediately, she observed the particles rushing towards the healthy soil, attacking the bacteria, fungi, and viruses that sustained the soil's vitality. The particles changed forms as they attacked each type of organism. The attack methods were never the same. Bacteria were invaded and decimated from within, fungi had their moisture drained and decayed rapidly, and viruses were engulfed and captured. Almost instantly, the once-healthy soil lost its rich brown colour and turned sandy. It was a merciless slaughter at the microscopic level. Jean felt a wave of nausea as she witnessed it. She quickly withdrew her mana senses and retreated to her work tent.

At that moment, Jean realized she was truly out of her depth.

"I'm not ready for this," she murmured. But she couldn't give up. "I have to make an effort, at the very least."

At that moment, Jean remembered a phrase Mister Larks often repeated to his younger students.

"When you're stuck and don't know what to do, try everything you can and know. If you throw a hundred darts at once, at least one should hit the target. Just take the one that hits and repeat it again and again until all hundred hits."

Jean smiled nostalgically, recalling the astonished expressions on the children's faces as Mister Larks actually threw a hundred darts at a tree, and all hundred stuck true.

"Wait a minute!" Jean snapped her fingers. She hurriedly retrieved a book from her bag with the title, "Evolutionary Algorithms." This was the package Marie had handed her. It was a challenging read, delving into topics beyond her expertise and understanding. But Marie had instructed her to read and comprehend it. Jean had indeed read it, though her understanding was incomplete as she had only made it halfway through.

Jean skimmed through the text and paused at the chapter titled "Genetic Algorithm."

In fact, this was the only chapter Jean truly grasped in the entire book. It was mainly derived from the theory of natural selection. Natural selection could be seen as a more elegant way of describing the state of the world: "Survival of the fittest." Only the fittest individuals could carry on their genes to the next generation.

Nucleic acids, comprising DNA and RNA, were considered the building blocks of all life. All species shared similarities in their DNA. Among humans, there was a 99.9% similarity in DNA makeup. Our closest relative, the chimpanzee, shared 98.8% of our DNA. However, a mere 1.2% variation resulted in an entirely different species. So how significant could the 0.1% difference be between humans of the same species?

Let's consider a highly contagious disease with a high mortality rate spreading worldwide. People are susceptible to it, succumbing to the disease, and many dying. However, the 0.1% variation allows a group of humans to possess higher tolerance to the disease, enabling them to resist, overcome, or even be immune to it. This group is guaranteed the propagation of their genes, as those who succumb to the disease are naturally removed from the breeding pool. The subsequent generation of humans already incorporates the 0.1% variation in their DNA, ensuring their resistance to the disease. Within this new generation, only those with the highest resistance or complete immunity will have a greater chance of passing on their genes. After years and multiple generations, humans may be born with total immunity to the disease.

Jean's eyes lit up with a newfound sense of possibility. The genetic algorithm encapsulated this simplified explanation of the natural selection process and applied it to a wide range of problems, assuming that only the most optimal solution among the available options would persist as the algorithm naturally phased out suboptimal solutions with each generation. It provided a means of addressing complex problems by emulating the process of natural selection and evolution.

With renewed determination, Jean delved into her memories and recalled the details of the chapter. The genetic algorithm involved creating a population of potential solutions, each represented by a set of parameters or characteristics. Through a process of selection, crossover, and mutation, the algorithm would iteratively refine these solutions, gradually converging on an optimal or near-optimal outcome.

Excitement surged through Jean's veins as she recognized the potential of applying this algorithm to her problem. She could approach the disease as an optimization challenge, seeking the best combination of factors to counteract its devastating effects. By framing the problem in this manner, she might be able to overcome the plague's adaptability and complexity.