Visas

Biodata

Background & History

Visas began as an impoverished, remote coastal fief. Under the late Count Matt Desinia, high taxes, extravagant spending, and unsuccessful alchemical research left the territory with a poor reputation and a severe financial deficit. When six-year-old Cyrus inherited it, its people did not expect the Desinia family to improve their lives. 1 2

After accepting System 098’s infrastructure strategy, Xia made Visas the starting point for comprehensive development. He used the late count’s alchemical laboratory as cover for his knowledge, established solar saltworks along the Cogit Sea, and used the profitable salt-making method to secure Par Mountain from King Duke Patch. 1 3 4

Assassination attempts arranged through Bass Riches and Count Bevis Elliot exposed Visas’s military weakness. Xia responded by cutting taxes, recruiting commoners and slaves, creating a merit-based army, and using salt revenue to support settlement, construction, and defense. 6 9 11

After foiling a second plot at Par Mountain, Xia seized Komoy Fort under the pretext of rescuing it from Bevis and Matthew Luke’s conspiracy. The king later approved Komoy Fort’s transfer, substantially expanding Visas’s domain. 16 17

Following Bass Riches’s coup in Gadayat, Xia’s forces captured lordless cities and ultimately overthrew the duke. Gadayat was abolished, and Visas became the administrative center of the independent Desinia Territory, which initially united fifteen cities under Xia’s authority. 38 39 40

Visas remained the political core of Desinia through later territorial expansion. Official-selection examinations, schools, commercial institutions, factories, and the Saint Church’s headquarters were concentrated in or administered from the city, cementing its transformation from a neglected coastal backwater into a major regional center. 42 43 73 168 181

Geography

Visas lies on the coast of the Cogit Sea. Its original town stood more than a kilometer inland from the shoreline and was separated from Desinia Castle by a considerable distance. Before reconstruction, its streets were muddy, polluted, and lined with poor-quality housing and crude market stalls. 2

Par Mountain stands between Visas and Komoy Fort. After the northwestern side became Xia’s restricted domain, a broad road was constructed along the mountain’s foot to connect the two cities, reducing travel time by more than half. 60

• Cogit Sea — Source of seawater for Visas’s solar saltworks. 3
• Par Mountain — Mountain bordering Visas and Komoy Fort; granted to Xia as part of Visas’s territory. It contains Par Lake, natural rock asphalt deposits, and additional black mineral veins. 4 6 15 16
• Par Lake — Proposed site for a new castle and the future residential and political center of Desinia. 14 18
• Southeastern Par Mountain — Open to nobles, commoners, and slaves for hunting and gathering wood. 44
• Northwestern Par Mountain — Restricted area containing Par Lake, mining sites, checkpoints, and future defensive facilities. 18 44
• Visas–Komoy Road — A broad, level route built along the foot of Par Mountain. Its checkpoint verifies travelers, guards the route, and collects tolls primarily from merchants and outside visitors. 60

Government

Visas was originally a direct vassal territory of Gadayat. Its lord held local administrative and judicial authority, including the right to establish courts, prisons, checkpoints, and taxes, while still owing obligations to the king. 4

After Gadayat’s collapse, Xia abolished the old feudal arrangement across Desinia Territory. Visas became the administrative center, and the other cities were placed under appointed mayors rather than hereditary vassal lords. 40

• Mayors serve as Xia’s subordinates and cannot independently levy taxes, establish courts or checkpoints, or raise private armies. 40
• Officials, including mayors, are selected through written examinations, interviews, and final assessments rather than inherited rank. 40 42 43
• Visas hosts the official-selection examinations. More than three hundred applicants from the territory’s fifteen cities registered for the first examinations for mayoral and other administrative posts. 43
• Priests brought from Kaies were retrained to compile laws, prepare examination materials, supervise candidates, and grade assessments. 41 42
• Grove Qiao was appointed bishop of Visas by Pope Segalot, while Xia received exceptional authority to dismiss or replace local clergy. 47 48
• As the Saint Church in Visas neared completion, cardinals, archbishops, and other senior clergy began relocating there, establishing the Holy See’s headquarters in the city. 181

Economy

Salt Industry

Visas’s first major industry was solar salt production. Xia used shallow basins, sunlight, wind, and seawater to produce refined salt more cheaply than traditional boiling methods, challenging the Nagabi Merchant Guild’s expensive salt trade. 3

• The king receives sixty percent of salt-sale profits under Xia’s agreement. 4
• The Thorn Merchant Association was founded to sell affordable refined salt and finance Visas’s expansion. 11
• Rose Salt’s distribution network later expanded across Gadayat and reached Gaina. 13 19

Construction Materials

Natural rock asphalt, called Black Ore, was discovered near Par Mountain and Komoy Fort. Previously used mainly as waterproofing, Xia intended to apply it to roads, buildings, and large-scale urban reconstruction. 15 18

• Soldiers mine and transport Black Ore for construction teams. 22
• Engineers developed durable fired bricks using crushed stone, earth, and Renogue Masi’s stone-crushing machine. 32
• Watermarked Paper was developed as a cheaper, stronger substitute for parchment and papyrus, supporting government, education, and trade. 42

Manufacturing and Commerce

Visas developed beyond salt and construction into a center for consumer goods and machine production. Rose Clothing Store in Visas sold a broad range of clothing and accessories, including custom-made garments for men. 73

• Factories in Visas and Komoy Fort manufacture machine parts in batches for cotton gins, spinning wheels, looms, and related equipment. 168
• Production combines iron and wood components with assembly-line-style organization, though much of the labor remains manual. 168
• Factory dormitories and dining halls are maintained for workers, while Xia personally monitors cleanliness, food supplies, and labor conditions. 168
• Textile expansion is intended to create stable employment for migrant workers and later provide work and accommodation for their wives. 168

Infrastructure

Xia announced the “Visas and Komoy Fort Five-Year Comprehensive Development and Infrastructure Reconstruction Plan” after taking Komoy Fort. Its goal was to rebuild both cities through controlled mining, planned districts, permanent settlement, and improved public facilities. 18

• Housing — Residential districts were prioritized; wood and rammed earth were rejected as unsuitable for Visas’s humid coastal environment. 32
• Roads and drainage — Road paving, drainage systems, and flood-control works became central development projects. 21 48
• Intercity transport — The new Visas–Komoy Road provides a faster, guarded connection between the two cities and is controlled through a former training-camp checkpoint. 60
• Public institutions — Xia planned administrative buildings, schools, nursing homes, orphanages, and military academies. 46 48
• Education — Visas contains one of Desinia Territory’s first two schools, which teach children literacy and provide an avenue of advancement for commoners and nobles alike. 73
• Artisan administration — The Thorn Artisans’ Guild established ranked professional positions from Ordinary Artisan to Senior Engineer, with Conrad Brown as president. 22
• Industrial facilities — Factories producing standardized machinery components were established in Visas as part of the territory’s textile and manufacturing development. 168
• Security — Par Mountain received checkpoints, patrols, restricted routes, and plans for a comprehensive defensive system. 18 44
• Religious infrastructure — The Saint Church’s construction in Visas enabled the relocation of important clergy and the eventual establishment of the Holy See’s headquarters. 181

After three years of development, Visas surpassed the former royal capital of Kaies in prosperity and became Desinia Territory’s unquestioned administrative center. 48

Military

Visas’s army was founded on merit-based recruitment rather than noble birth. Healthy commoners and slaves could enlist; slaves entered as reserve soldiers and could earn freedom, promotion, and eventually knightly status through accumulated merit. 9

• The first recruitment drive enlisted 252 regular soldiers and 398 reserve soldiers. 11
• Soldiers receive housing, food, wages, structured training, rest days, ranks, and quarterly assessments. 11
• Squad, platoon, company, and battalion leadership is awarded through performance rather than status. 11 12
• The Black Cavalry and White Cavalry later became the unified military force of Desinia Territory and played a decisive role against Bass Riches. 39 40
• Cavalry checkpoints and rotating commanders later protected Desinia’s cities, roads, and commercial routes as trade expanded. 101
• The Black-and-White Cavalry ultimately defeated the Saint Airo Empire during Desinia’s later war with the empire. 177

Society

Visas’s reforms sought to attract labor, settlers, and skilled residents from neighboring territories by offering lower taxes, employment, military advancement, and merit-based opportunities. 9 19

• Former slaves can gain freedom through military or construction merit. 9 22
• New recruits’ families receive financial support and access to work in salt production and construction. 11
• Refugees from the fallen Trak Kingdom received temporary housing, food, clothing, medical treatment, fifty copper coins each, and work assignments suited to their abilities. 28 29
• Skilled newcomers may receive specialized posts regardless of origin, as shown by Adai Ben’s appointment to the alchemy laboratory and Renogue Masi’s freedom and Artisans’ Guild consultancy. 31 32
• The territory’s new guilds and official examinations are designed to reward competence while limiting favoritism and inherited privilege. 20 22 42
• Visas’s school system offers commoner children access to literacy despite families’ concerns over tuition, weak health, and the loss of child labor. Students of different social origins can study and form friendships together. 73
• Factory employment provides migrant laborers with housing, meals, stable wages, and the prospect of later relocating their families to Visas or Komoy Fort. 168
• Long-term residents regard Visas’s transformation from a filthy, isolated settlement into a clean and prosperous center as the result of Cyrus’s governance. 181