The Great Mercator System

Chapter 4: The First Steps Toward Power

The moment Simeon discovered Selene’s rare Charm ability, a fire lit inside him. He knew the world of nobility all too well—wolves dressed in silk, waiting to pounce on the weak. Selene, with her gentle heart and trusting nature, would be devoured if left unprotected. But protection wasn’t enough; he needed to mold her, shape her into someone who could wield her gift without ever realizing it.

Teaching someone to use their power without them knowing was a challenge, but Simeon thrived on challenges. He started subtly—giving her tasks that required interaction, asking her to make requests of servants and guards, always watching, always calculating.

“You have such a way with people, Selene,” he told her one afternoon as she effortlessly persuaded the cook into making her favorite pastries. “You make people want to help you without even trying.”

Selene only giggled, oblivious to his deeper intentions. He carefully guided her, encouraging her to speak up more, to express her desires openly. When a visiting merchant refused to lower his prices, Simeon nudged Selene forward. She pouted, pleaded, and within minutes, the man caved, offering a discount that no seasoned negotiator could have secured.

She thought it was luck.

Simeon knew better.

Though they were twins, Simeon had long noticed the stark differences between them. They shared the same golden hair, though his was often neatly combed, controlled, while hers flowed freely, unrestrained. Their emerald eyes gleamed with intelligence, but where hers radiated warmth, his concealed sharp calculation.

In his past life, he had been a coward—an invisible cog in the machine, never standing out, never making waves. That man had died. Simeon De Long was different. This time, he would carve his own path, wielding power in ways no one expected.

His siblings underestimated him. His father saw him as a child. But they were all wrong.

Manipulation was an art, and Simeon was an artist. He had already claimed Sebastian, the family’s butler, and Ser Dave, the head guard, ensuring their loyalty through carefully placed secrets and countermeasures.

But two was not enough.

His next target was Emma De Long, one of the estate’s senior maids. She had served House De Long for over a decade and had access to nearly every room, every document, and every whisper of gossip. She was indispensable.

Through subtle conversations and well-placed rumors, Simeon learned that Emma was struggling financially—her younger brother had amassed a gambling debt with dangerous people. One evening, he approached her with a simple proposition.

“I can make that debt disappear,” he said smoothly, watching as panic and desperation flickered across her face. “In return, you serve me.”

Emma hesitated, but only for a moment.

Within a week, the debt was gone.

And Emma De Long belonged to him.

With three loyal subordinates, Simeon was ready to test his theories. Using Emma as an intermediary, he orchestrated the purchase of a shipment of rare spices from a trader in Valford. Nobles in Rexedoria paid exorbitant sums for such goods, but House De Long, on the verge of bankruptcy, had never leveraged trade effectively.

Simeon did.

He invested what little personal savings he had—mostly gold, silver, and bronze coins, the currency used throughout Decem—flipped the spices for triple the price, and funneled the earnings through a shell operation under Emma’s name. By the end of the month, he had his first real profit—money that was his alone, beyond his father’s grasp.

It was small, but it was a start.

House De Long was in trouble. He had known it since he first became aware of his reincarnation. His father, Earl Bryan De Long, was a competent but honest man—too honest for the cutthroat world of nobility. The family’s finances were dwindling, its influence shrinking. If things continued as they were, they would soon fall into irrelevance or ruin.

Simeon refused to let that happen.

However, he had to tread carefully. His brothers were ambitious in their own right. If they suspected him of gathering power, they could see him as a threat rather than an ally. He needed to outmaneuver them, not confront them.

For now, he would play the role of the harmless fourth son.

But behind the scenes, he would weave a web so vast, so intricate, that by the time anyone noticed, he would already be holding the strings.

House De Long would not only survive.

It would rise.

Simeon De Long was no fool. Power meant nothing if it could be taken away. The Five Fingers of the Joker now bowed to him, but loyalty in the underworld was fickle—bought today, betrayed tomorrow. If Joker was to be more than a fleeting legend, he had to ensure absolute control.

The first rule of survival: never let them know who you are.

Simeon had structured his takeover of the Five Fingers so that no one—not even his own subordinates—knew Joker’s true identity. He operated from the shadows, passing orders through Sebastian, Ser Dave, and Emma, each serving a specific function.

• Sebastian was his informant, his ears in the noble circles, collecting whispers of scandal and opportunity.

• Ser Dave provided muscle, ensuring none dared move against them without consequence.

• Emma acted as the perfect intermediary, handling logistics without ever knowing the full picture.

Each believed they were only seeing one piece of the puzzle.

Simeon understood one harsh truth: weak men cannot rule.

If he was to truly dominate both the underground and the noble world, he had to prepare for all possibilities. That meant training—not just in strategy, but in physical survival.

Sebastian, despite being a butler, had once been a street rat before House De Long took him in. Simeon had him instruct how to move unseen, how to vanish in a crowd, how to hear what was never spoken aloud.

Ser Dave was a seasoned warrior. Though past his prime, he was still a force to be reckoned with. Every night, under the cover of darkness, Simeon trained with him—learning how to fight, how to take a punch, how to kill if necessary.

He could no longer afford to be just a strategist. He needed to be a survivor.

Loyalty in the underworld was a fragile thing, but fear and leverage? Those were eternal.

One by one, Simeon ensured that every major figure in the Five Fingers owed him—debts, secrets, or blood.

• A corrupt merchant caught smuggling illegal goods? Now, he worked for Joker.

• A rival gang leader with a hidden mistress? His silence was bought with submission.

• A city guard captain who enjoyed bribes? He would turn a blind eye, or he’d lose everything.

No one was indispensable. No one could betray him without consequences.

While the underworld bowed in fear, the nobles of Valford and Rexedoria unknowingly danced to his tune.

Simeon understood a simple truth about the upper class: pride and greed made them blind. By controlling the underground, he controlled their vices—the gambling dens, the secret brothels, the illicit trades they indulged in behind closed doors.

The Duke’s Addicted Heir

Lord Frederick Valmont, heir to House Valmont, had a dangerous addiction to gambling. He owed more gold than he could afford to lose. Simeon ensured the Five Fingers offered him “assistance,” letting him win just enough to keep him hooked.

Every time he tried to stop, they lured him back in. Soon, he was in debt so deep that even his father’s wealth couldn’t cover it. And who did he turn to? A mysterious benefactor who paid off his debts in exchange for small, seemingly harmless favors.

A whispered word here. A misplaced document there. Lord Frederick was now a pawn.

The Countess and the Scandalous Letters

Countess Marianne Goldcrest had a secret lover—a commoner. Their affair was documented in letters filled with scandalous confessions, letters that now rested in Simeon’s possession.

Through careful manipulation, he arranged for Emma to befriend one of the Countess’s maids, slipping into her confidence until the letters found their way into his hands.

With one threat, Marianne became his unwitting accomplice. She used her influence to shift noble alliances, ensuring that House De Long’s name was whispered in the right circles, that doors once closed were now slightly ajar.

The Baron and the False Investment

Baron Edwin Cavendish was desperate to expand his shipping business. Simeon had Sebastian introduce him to an “anonymous investor” willing to finance his ambitions. Of course, the deal was a trap—designed so that Cavendish would be forever indebted to his unseen backer.

As his business grew, he unknowingly smuggled Simeon’s contraband, laundering illicit goods under the guise of legitimate trade. If he ever refused? The documents proving his involvement would conveniently find their way to the city guards.

Cavendish believed himself to be a rising merchant lord. In reality, he was just another string in Joker’s web.

By the time the month ended, Joker was no longer just a name whispered in the underground.

He was a ghost, a force no one could trace, yet no one could ignore. Nobles unknowingly played into his hands, criminals feared his unseen hand, and his family?

They still believed him to be the quiet fourth son of a failing house.

But soon, that would change.

Because power, once taken, only craved more.