Cyrus

Biodata

Background

Cyrus transmigrated into the body of the six-year-old heir to Visas, a minor villain fated to die regardless of ordinary attempts to avoid the original novel’s plot. Zen System 098 explains that survival requires changing the world’s fate through comprehensive infrastructure construction rather than merely escaping individual dangers. 1

Immediately after inheriting the countship, Xia executes the corrupt Butler Johnson for theft and manipulation. He then investigates Judas Jansen’s wrongful imprisonment, recognizes his literacy and competence, and promotes him from servant to Desinia’s steward. 1

Visas begins as a poor, underdeveloped coastal territory burdened by debt from Xia’s late father’s alchemical pursuits. After assessing its conditions, Xia uses the Omniscient Library to obtain a solar salt-making method, establishes saltworks on the Cogit Sea, and presents the technique to King Duke Patch in exchange for Par Mountain and five chests of gold. 2 3 4

As Desinia expands, Cyrus transforms his initial survival project into a continent-spanning state-building effort. He develops industry, education, medicine, agriculture, communications, ports, and scientific institutions while repeatedly incorporating territories destabilized by war, plague, or internal collapse. 60 95 128 168 177 190

Appearance

Xia initially appears as a small, fair six-year-old with lingering baby fat, soft features, and caramel-colored eyes. His size often requires Judas or other attendants to carry him. 1 2

• Fair skin and soft, fluffy hair that curls slightly at the ends 49
• Caramel-colored eyes 2 49
• Wears the Desinia family’s black-thorned red-rose emblem on formal occasions 33
• Grows taller over time, with much of his baby fat fading by the Gaina campaign 49
• Develops more refined facial contours and a mature, slender appearance as he grows older. 104 192
• Frequently wears modernized formal, riding, and administrative clothing designed by Desinia’s tailors, including black-and-red riding attire and a white three-piece wedding suit with wine-red accents. 64 108 192

Personality

Xia is decisive, observant, and politically calculating beneath an outwardly innocent, childlike manner. He uses that appearance to unsettle adults, secure concessions, and disguise the scale of his ambitions. 3 4

He values competence over birth. His military, guild, and civil-service systems allow commoners, former slaves, artisans, and nobles alike to advance through merit and useful work. 9 12 22 40

His compassion is practical rather than indiscriminate. He provides aid, medicine, housing, and opportunity to vulnerable people, but punishes exploitation, corruption, and attempts to claim privilege without contribution. 13 29 30

Cyrus is willing to use coercion, intelligence networks, and political manipulation when persuasion cannot protect Desinia’s interests. He considers talent a strategic resource and recruits capable people regardless of nationality, while retaining the option of force against those who reject reasonable offers. 59 113 118

Despite his growing authority, Cyrus remains personally attentive to workers’ living conditions, agricultural security, public sanitation, and corruption among local officials. 168 181 185

Abilities & Skills

Governance and political strategy

Xia consistently turns technical knowledge and political crises into leverage for Desinia.

• Secured Par Mountain by offering the crown sixty percent of salt-sale profits rather than demanding a simple reward. 4
• Used recruitment incentives and tax cuts to draw population away from Komoy Fort and strengthen Visas’s economy and army. 9 13
• Turned Bevis Elliot’s failed assassination plot into legal justification to seize Komoy Fort. 16 17
• Abolished Gadayat’s feudal system in favor of a centralized Desinia Territory governed by appointed mayors and unified military command. 40
• Incorporated the devastated Yami Kingdom and neighboring southern territories after the Black Death, using medical aid and reconstruction as the basis for popular legitimacy. 128
• Reorganized the conquered Saint Airo Empire under Desinia’s laws, removing inherited noble authority and requiring former nobles to pass examinations and background investigations for public employment. 177
• Uses scandals, commercial alliances, and strategic concessions to weaken hostile factions without relying solely on military action. 118

Infrastructure and engineering

Xia’s central objective is comprehensive development through modernized production, transport, construction, and public services.

• Developed solar-evaporated refined salt, later sold as Rose Salt, which funded Desinia’s expansion. 3 13
• Planned the reconstruction of Visas and Komoy Fort through the Five-Year Comprehensive Development and Infrastructure Reconstruction Plan. 18
• Directed the exploitation of Par Mountain’s black ore/rock asphalt for roads, waterproofing, and construction research. 18 21
• Introduced durable fired-brick construction, drainage planning, flood control, sanitation regulations, and organized city districts. 32 45 48
• Developed watermarked paper and pursued improved woodblock, copperplate, and movable-type printing. 41 42 46
• Oversees the construction of ports, shipyards, navigational facilities, and ocean-going vessels to support trade and exploration beyond the Western Continent. 59 66 72
• Promotes cement roads, factories, assembly-style component production, cotton-processing machinery, spinning wheels, and improved looms. 100 168
• Orders water-storage ponds, dams, irrigation renovations, river channels, waterwheels, and aqueduct systems to mitigate drought and stabilize food production. 181 185

Alchemy and medicine

Xia studies herbs and alchemical methods through the system’s library while publicly attributing his knowledge to his late father’s research.

• Identifies medicinal plants and experiments with potions and salves. 12
• Uses herbal medicine to treat illnesses and expands access to plant-based treatment for refugees and residents. 24 29
• Tests Adai Ben’s medicinal knowledge, correctly identifies his insomnia potion, and mentors him as an alchemist’s assistant. 31
• Pursues papermaking partly to create affordable packaging for medicinal ointments. 29 31
• Develops beet sugar through a multistage process of extraction, purification, boiling, crystallization, and drying. 73
• Establishes the Alchemy Tower and later government-run medical and scientific research institutions that recruit and evaluate researchers through formal examinations and internships. 65 168 190
• His medicines and plague-treatment efforts become central to Desinia’s influence, earning widespread public trust after the Black Death. 128 190

Military organization

Xia does not rely on noble birth as the basis of military rank.

• Opens recruitment to commoners and slaves, with freedom and promotion available through merit. 9
• Establishes performance-based training, squad assignments, and leadership assessments. 12
• Creates the Black Cavalry under Fernandi and the White Cavalry under Walker, deliberately integrating commoners and former slaves. 18
• Uses coordinated cavalry movements, patrols, checkpoints, and Qing Tuan’s message-carrying ability in campaigns. 44 49
• Expands the Black-and-White Cavalry into a force capable of garrisoning a continent-spanning territory and plans a specialized naval force for protecting Desinia’s maritime routes. 149 177
• Employs incendiary weapons derived from Kunseci oil in border warfare against the Saint Airo Empire. 139

Agriculture, industry, and public welfare

Cyrus treats food, labor, manufacturing, and social stability as inseparable elements of territorial security.

• Promotes mixed farming, livestock grazing on fallow land, fertilization, weeding, and pest control to improve yields. 66
• Seeks overseas crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peppers, cotton, and tomatoes to address food shortages and diversify Desinia’s economy. 54 168
• Prepares Desinia for the Little Ice Age through expanded crop production, textile manufacturing, machinery, worker training, and factory oversight. 168 177
• Creates employment opportunities for women through cotton spinning and weaving industries while providing workers with dormitories, food, and eventual family relocation. 168
• Maintains relief institutions, schools, orphanages, nursing homes, hospitals, and public sanitation projects as parts of long-term governance. 13 45 194

Culture, education, and information

Cyrus uses culture and mass communication to promote literacy, commerce, and political cohesion.

• Establishes schools and promotes literacy among commoners and slaves despite resistance rooted in child labor and poverty. 43 73
• Personally writes Tales of the Gods to promote reading, religious-cultural entertainment, and Desinia’s clothing industry. 68 71
• Uses murals, illustrated booklets, goddess-themed clothing, and the Papal Edict to turn the stories into a popular cultural movement. 67
• Develops newspapers, subscriptions, home delivery, and overseas newspaper offices to spread information and monitor foreign affairs. 92 95
• Uses the Thorn Merchant Guild’s commercial reach to distribute books, clothing, medicines, and public notices throughout Desinia and beyond. 65 66 95

Zen System 098 and the Omniscient Library

Zen System 098 provides Xia with strategic resources but does not directly complete tasks for him.

• The Omniscient Library exchanges territory-based reputation for access to specialized books. 1 2
• 098 provided the exact location of Par Mountain’s natural asphalt mine as Xia’s transmigration benefit. 1
• Xia uses acquired texts on salt production, urban planning, military administration, papermaking, drainage, and other fields to guide Desinia’s reforms. 3 18 29 48
• The system’s plot-deviation value measures the degree to which Xia has altered the predetermined story. 1 39
• 098 assists Cyrus in interpreting Duke Bill’s sea route map and confirms that it may exploit a rare flaw in the world’s rules to reach another continent. 54
• The system periodically travels through its cosmic channels and returns with unusual gifts, particularly Cyrus’s animal companions. 43 130 177

Power Progression

Plot-deviation record

Equipment & Companions

• Desinia Thorn Rose crest — The hereditary emblem of the Desinia family: a vivid rose above black thorns. It appears on flags, badges, carriages, and formal attire. 2 33
• Pope’s Edict — A badge granted by Segalot that allows Xia to summon clergy and, in certain matters, command cardinals. 48
• Coalball — A black-blue tiger and Snowball’s older brother. He is powerful, affectionate toward Xia, and aggressive toward perceived rivals. 18 44
• Snowball — A white tiger and Coalball’s younger brother. More restrained than Coalball and notably protective of Xia. 18 44
• Qing Tuan Uranus Overlord — A snow-white Gyrfalcon with a trace of divine eagle blood. He imprinted on Xia after hatching and later serves as a battlefield messenger. 44 49
• Egg Yolk — A golden lion gifted by 098, later grown into a formidable Lion King loyal to Xia. 49
• Black Sugar — A golden-eyed black panther gifted to Cyrus by Segalot. She becomes a large but affectionate companion and is accepted by Coalball and Snowball. 62 104
• Ice Cream — A white wolf companion that accompanies Cyrus on journeys and hunting excursions. 107 108
• Rice Cake — A panda gifted by 098. Cyrus plants bamboo to support its care and later includes it among his animal companions. 130 193
• Eggy, Flathead, and Rollie — Additional fluffy companions whose distinct temperaments provide Cyrus with both affection and frequent trouble. 181 193

Relationships

• Judas Jansen — Steward, caretaker, and Xia’s earliest sworn retainer. Xia clears his false charge, promotes him to steward, and later asks him to remain his butler after the Par Mountain attack. 1 7
• Gibran Kino — Formerly a poor but gifted market mathematician. After rescuing Xia on Par Mountain, Gibran and his younger brother Toby enter Xia’s household; Gibran later assists with finance and administration. 2 7 13
• Fernandi Edward / Ferdinand — Former Gaina knight purchased from Nat Case as a slave. Xia recognizes the justice of his revenge, gives him authority, and entrusts him with the Black Cavalry. 4 7 18
• Walker William — Royal knight commander who chooses permanent loyalty to Xia over both the king and his own family. He commands the White Cavalry and serves as a recruiter, military leader, and adviser. 9 18 33
• Segalot Wozworth Osgood — Pope of the Holy See and Cyrus’s lover, later husband. He rescues Xia during Bass Riches’s coup, calls him “Little Rose,” grants him exceptional influence over Desinia’s clergy and the Pope’s Edict, and publicly acknowledges their relationship before marrying him. 36 37 47 48 179 190 193
• Marco Case — Marquis and later mayor of Kaies. Marco protects Xia during the Kaies coup and becomes a significant administrative ally. 36 38 40
• Nat Case — Marco’s son and Fernandi’s former owner. After reforming himself, he apologizes to Fernandi, passes Desinia’s official examination, and prepares for a diplomatic career. 40 42 45
• Conrad Brown — An Anas craftsman rescued from discrimination in Niramo. Xia appoints him president of the Thorn Artisans’ Guild and a Senior Engineer. 19 22
• Adai Ben — Herbalist from the former Trak Kingdom. Xia identifies his potential and appoints him as an alchemist’s assistant. He later becomes a recognized alchemist working in the Alchemy Tower. 30 31 168
• Samuel Fern — A Helgodan shipbuilder and navigator recruited by Cyrus after being tested for his skill, character, and dedication to overseas exploration. He leads Desinia’s harbor and ship-design efforts. 59 72
• Boris Yabo — Leader of the Nagabi Merchant Guild, Cyrus’s commercial partner, correspondent, and source of intelligence. Their cooperation helps the Thorn Merchant Guild enter foreign markets and withstand commercial threats. 60 65 73
• Reinog Masi — Former Trak slave and gifted inventor whom Cyrus frees for his work on brickmaking. He becomes a leading engineer responsible for machinery, textile improvements, and irrigation projects. 32 168 185
• Chipman Norton — A master alchemist initially associated with the Ed Merchant Guild and a commercial rival. Cyrus later recruits him to Desinia, where he works with Yadai on major research. 65 118 168
• Zen System 098 — Xia’s detached but supportive system companion. It provides knowledge access, resource maps, and unusual gifts while leaving Xia responsible for his own progress. 1 14 29

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rebuilding Visas

Xia inherits a failing coastal county, removes its corrupt butler, gains Judas’s loyalty, studies Visas’s poverty firsthand, and establishes solar salt production as his first major economic reform. 1 2 3

Acquiring Par Mountain and confronting Komoy Fort

By presenting the salt-making process to King Duke Patch, Xia gains Par Mountain and the funds to begin development. Attempts on his life expose Bass Riches, Bevis Elliot, and Matthew Luke as political enemies. 4 7 14 16

Conquest of Komoy Fort

After surviving the Par Mountain ambush, Xia uses Bevis’s conspiracy as grounds to intervene in Komoy Fort. Bevis is killed, Matthew is executed by Fernandi, and the king recognizes Xia’s claim to the city. 16 17

Five-Year Development Plan

Xia integrates Visas and Komoy Fort through military reform, black-ore mining, artisan recruitment, urban planning, infrastructure construction, and merit-based institutions. 18 21 22 32

Fall of Gadayat and formation of Desinia Territory

Bass Riches’s coup forces Xia to escape Kaies and seize the kingdom’s leaderless cities. After the usurper’s defeat, Xia abolishes Gadayat’s monarchy and feudal structure, establishing Desinia Territory under centralized rule. 33 36 38 40

Administrative and educational reforms

Xia develops papermaking, printing, legal training, public examinations, mayoral appointments, sanitation rules, schools, nursing homes, and orphanages to build a durable bureaucracy. 41 42 45 46

Gaina intervention

After years of development, Xia enters Gaina amid King Light Green’s war against Bruno Green. He seeks both Bruno’s downfall and a strategic foothold in Gaina, while Fernandi remains determined to personally avenge his sister. 48 49

Cyrus helps dismantle Bruno’s regime, oversees the transition of Gaina’s leaderless cities, and supports the local clergy as a means of stabilizing resistance to Desinia’s rule. Bruno is later killed, fulfilling Fernandi’s long-delayed revenge. 53 54

Maritime expansion and overseas exploration

After learning of Duke Bill’s sea route map, Cyrus recruits Samuel Fern and begins developing Cogit Sea Port, shipyards, navigation, and a future expedition to the New Continent. He views overseas travel as essential to obtaining high-yield crops, cotton, and other resources unavailable on the Western Continent. 54 59 66 72

Industrial and cultural development

Cyrus expands Desinia’s economy beyond salt through medicines, beet sugar, watermarked paper, clothing, dyeing, books, newspapers, factories, and textile machinery. He uses Tales of the Gods and religious imagery to stimulate literacy, cultural participation, and commerce. 60 65 67 73 95 168

Black Death and southern expansion

Cyrus’s medical knowledge and plague-treatment efforts elevate his reputation across the continent. After the Black Death devastates the Yami Kingdom, Nitaya transfers the kingdom to Cyrus, who incorporates it and neighboring southern territories into Desinia. 128

Saint Airo conquest and continental reforms

Cyrus wages war against the Saint Airo Empire after border conflict and oil discovery make confrontation unavoidable. Following the empire’s defeat, he extends Desinia’s centralized laws, merit examinations, agricultural programs, industrial technologies, and Little Ice Age preparations across the conquered lands. 139 177

Relationship with Segalot

Cyrus and Segalot’s early political alliance develops into mutual affection. After the Plot Deviation Value is completed, Cyrus directly confesses his feelings and begins an open relationship with the Pope. They publicly reveal their partnership during the God-Prayer Festival and later marry at Cogit Sea Port. 179 190 193

Notable Quotes

“Why do I have to be king? I can remain a lord and turn all of Gadayat into my territory.” — Cyrus 38

“I said that if you want to shed your slave status, you must exchange merit for it. No one can be an exception.” — Cyrus 30

Trivia

• Rose Salt takes its name from the Desinia Thorn Rose crest used as its trademark. 13
• Xia initially uses his late father’s alchemical reputation as a cover for knowledge acquired through the Omniscient Library. 3 31
• He introduced lemonade to Desinia Castle despite Judas’s initial objections. 2
• Segalot’s repeated “Little Rose” nickname makes Xia consider changing the Desinia crest, though Judas refuses. 48
• Cyrus personally writes Tales of the Gods, despite initially allowing the public to assume that it was written by someone acting under his authority. 68 71
• He collects shed fur and feathers from his animal companions and makes needle-felted toys and ornaments from them. 89
• Cyrus’s wedding with Segalot is held at Cogit Sea Port, the site where he first awakened after transmigrating into the novel’s world. 193