Chapter 53: Day Three of Training 9

Elaria then placed her notebook on the table.

"Since we’re talking about your way of thinking..."

Adam immediately noticed her expression.

"No."

Elaria raised an eyebrow.

"You promised."

"I knew you wouldn’t forget."

"I hardly ever forget anything."

Shiora turned to her.

"What are you talking about?"

Elaria adjusted her glasses.

"Today, Adam compared runic circuits to algorithms. He also talked about conditions, loops, boundaries, logical errors, and memory leaks."

Vespera narrowed her eyes slightly.

"He also compared mana compression and spellcasting to multiple processes using the same resource."

Isadora placed her hands in front of her.

"Algorithm. You already used that word when you explained runes to us." "

Adam took a deep breath.

He looked at his meal.

Then at the seven women who were now watching him with complete attention.

"Very well."

He pushed his plate back slightly.

"But I’ll start simply."

Elaria immediately picked up her pen.

Shiora produced a new sheet of paper.

Vespera moved her chair a few inches to hear her better.

Adam watched them.

"You do realize this isn’t supposed to be a formal lesson, right?"

Isadora replied calmly:

"It just has."

Adam sighed.

"An algorithm is a sequence of organized instructions that leads to a result."

Selene frowned slightly.

"Like a combat sequence?"

"Yes. But more general."

Adam picked up a carafe of water from the table.

"Let’s take a very simple example. If I want to fill a glass, I have to follow several steps."

He placed a glass in front of him.

"First step: take the carafe. Second step: check that the glass is in front of me. Third step: tilt the carafe. Fourth step: pour until the desired amount is reached. Fifth step: straighten the carafe."

Selene looked at the glass.

"It’s simply pouring water."

"For you, yes, because your brain performs all these steps naturally. But if you had to explain this action exactly to an automaton incapable of thinking for itself, you would have to specify each instruction."

Elaria nodded immediately.

"And specify what it should do if the glass is missing."

Adam smiled.

"Exactly. That’s a condition."

He raised a finger.

"If the glass is present, pour the water. Otherwise, find a glass or signal that it’s missing." "

Isadora interjected:

"So an algorithm doesn’t just describe actions. It also anticipates several possible situations."

"Yes."

Adam set down the carafe.

"A condition generally works like a question. If something is true, take one action. Otherwise, take another."

Lyriana spoke.

"If a target enters the monitored area, observe them. If they detect my presence, change position."

"Exactly."

The dark elf remained silent for a few seconds.

Then her gaze became more focused.

Adam continued:

"Another simple example would be a cooking recipe."

Selene smiled.

"Now I understand."

"To make bread, you have to prepare the ingredients, mix them in a certain order, knead the dough, wait for it to rest, and then bake it at a specific temperature." "

Elaria immediately added:

"If the dough is too dry, add water. If it’s too wet, add flour."

"Yes. And the step of kneading it several times is what I call a loop."

Shiora tilted her head slightly.

"A loop?"

"An instruction repeated until a condition is met. For example: knead the dough until it reaches the right texture."

Elaria typed quickly.

"Repeat an action as long as the result remains below the desired value."

"That’s exactly it."

Vespera conjured a small sphere of mana.

"Maintain the compression as long as the density remains below the desired level. Once the density is reached, stabilize."

Adam nodded.

"Yes. Your compression exercise can be described as an algorithm."

The sphere slowly contracted.

Vespera observed the energy.

"Receive the mana. Measure its density. If it’s insufficient, continue the compression. If it’s too high, release some of the pressure. If it’s correct, maintain the structure."

Adam smiled.

"Perfect."

Vespera stared at the sphere with a new expression.

As if she no longer saw just a magical exercise, but a series of separable instructions.

Elaria asked:

"And variables? You used that term today."

Adam thought for a few seconds about the best way to explain it.

"A variable is a piece of information that can change during the execution of the algorithm."

He pointed to the glass.

"The amount of water in this glass is a variable. It starts at zero. Then it increases as I pour."

He then pointed to Selene.

"In a fight, your distance from your opponent is a variable. Your stamina is a variable. The position of their weapon, their speed, the number of enemies, and the state of the terrain are also variables."

Selene’s ears perked up.

"So a fighting technique can depend on several variables."

"Yes."

She placed her hand on the table.

"If the opponent is far away, advance or use a ranged attack. If they are close, strike. If they raise their weapon, observe the angle. If their weight is on their lead leg, attack their balance."

Adam nodded.

"You’ve just built a decision tree."

"A tree?"

"A series of choices that branch out based on the available information."

Selene smiled slowly.

"Interesting."

Elena leaned forward.

"This can also be applied to military training."

She moved several pieces of cutlery on the table to represent units.

"If the enemy advances in the center, reinforce the line. If they try to outflank the wing, move the reserves. If they retreat for no clear reason, check for an ambush."

Adam observed the cutlery.

"Exactly. A commander already uses algorithms without using that word."

Elena thought for a moment.

"But formalizing the decisions would make it easier to train junior officers."

Selene nodded.

"And to identify where a bad decision was made after a battle."

Elena added:

"We could build several scenarios." The instructor presents a scenario, then the recruit must choose a response. Each response creates a new scenario.

Adam smiled.

"In my old world, this was similar to certain tactical simulations."

Elena’s eyes sparkled.

"We could use the Valoria Games for this."

Shiora immediately raised a finger.

"A special military version."

Adam turned his head toward her.

"Don’t turn every idea into a product."

"I can’t help it."

Isadora was still looking at the cutlery Elena had arranged.

"This logic could also be used in administration."

She moved a small spoon to the center.

"If food supplies fall below a certain threshold, authorize additional purchases. If a road becomes dangerous, reroute the caravans. If the price of grain rises too rapidly, investigate whether it’s a genuine shortage or manipulation." "

Adam nodded.

"Yes. You can create decision rules for common situations."

Isadora continued:

"If a village reports an attack, first determine the threat level. If the threat is low, send a local unit. If it’s high, notify the Order of the Knights. If several villages are attacked simultaneously, consider the possibility of an organized operation."

Lyriana added calmly:

"And check if the attacks form a geographical pattern."

Adam looked at her.

"Exactly."

Isadora slowly folded her arms.

"An administrative algorithm could expedite certain decisions without waiting for each document to reach me."

Adam immediately raised a hand.

"Yes, but we must remain cautious."

"Why?"

"Because an algorithm can perfectly execute a flawed rule."

The table fell silent again.

Adam continued:

"If the initial instructions are flawed, the outcome will be flawed as well. If the information used is false, the algorithm will base its decision on lies."

Lyriana understood immediately.

"Like the forged contracts used today against the Adventurers’ Guild."

Selene gritted her teeth slightly.

"If we had automatically punished a team based on the document presented, we would have penalized innocent people."

"Exactly."

Adam looked at Isadora.

"So we must always verify important information and plan for human intervention in critical decisions."

Isadora nodded slowly.

"A support tool. Not a leader."

"That’s the best way to put it."

Shiora gently tapped her coin against the table.

"In trade, we already use similar rules."

She conjured several smaller coins in front of her.

"If reserves decrease, increase orders. If demand increases, raise the price slightly. If a customer regularly repays their debts, grant them a higher credit limit."

Adam winced slightly.

"That’s just an example, but be careful not to raise prices simply because you can."

Shiora smiled.

"I never said just because I could."

"Your smile says otherwise."

She ignored the remark.

"We could also analyze trade routes."

She moved several coins.

"Distance. Guard cost. Monster risk. Taxes. Road condition. Cargo value. Travel time." "

Adam nodded.

"You can assign a value to each factor and compare several routes."

Shiora sat up straight.

"So I could create a method to automatically choose the most profitable route."

Lyriana interjected:

"Provided the risk information is up-to-date."

"Naturally."

Adam continued:

"There are also algorithms for estimating risk. For example, to grant a loan, you could check the applicant’s income, existing debts, asset value, repayment history, and business stability."

Shiora was already writing.

"A business confidence rating."

"Yes. But again, beware of exceptions. Someone might have experienced difficulties without being dishonest."

Isadora agreed.

"Numbers never tell the whole story."

"Exactly."

Elaria lifted her pen slightly.

"Let’s get back to the magic circuits."

She conjured a small rune plaque.

"An enchantment receives mana. It circulates it through several runes, then produces an effect. That already sounds like a series of instructions."

Adam examined the plaque.

"Yes. Each rune can be seen as a function."

"A function?"

"A specialized part of an algorithm. It receives something, performs a specific task, and then returns a result."

He pointed to the first rune.

"This one receives the mana."

Then a second.

"This one limits the flow."

A third.

"This one transforms the energy into light."

And a final one.

"This one stabilizes the result."