I Became A Hidden Powerhouse Of The British Empire [EN]: Chapter 10

An Eye for an Eye (2)

After appeasing and coaxing Charles Wellesley, I returned to the hall where I had been sitting.

Even though who would suspect a ten-year-old, I still made sure we returned to our seats separately, just in case.

“You’re back later than I expected? It seems the conversation went long.”

“Wellesley seems to think highly of me. That’s why the conversation dragged on a bit. Actually, he wanted to talk more, but he said he was in the middle of a card game and asked if we could continue after he finished.”

“Is that so?”

“So, I was thinking James could head back first later. Wellesley said he’d like to chat a bit more at his mansion and then send me home by carriage.”

To plan for the future, it’s necessary to proceed in a secluded place.

Besides, I was a bit concerned that I had never handled cards in a child’s body.

I need some practice to get my senses back, and for now, there’s no place as suitable as Wellesley’s mansion.

So, James, sorry, but could you please head back?

“You’re going to Wellesley’s mansion to talk? You just met him today, but what did you say to make him think so highly of you?”

“We just talked about this and that, and James, you mentioned that Wellesley also went to Eton College, right? So, we talked about that, and it went well. Maybe I can even get a recommendation letter?”

“Oh! If that happens, I couldn’t ask for more. Wellesley’s father, the Duke of Wellington, is Eton’s most proud alumnus. If you can get a recommendation letter from him, admission is guaranteed.”

Sorry. That’s a lie, actually.

Of course, it’s a lie now, but since it’s likely to become true in the end, let’s just say I didn’t lie.

“Anyway, that’s how it is, so let’s wait here until Wellesley’s card game is over. And when it’s over, James, go home first and tell my father that I might be a little late today.”

“Of course. The Earl will be very pleased.”

After that, I continued to make excuses to James while observing how Wellesley was being scammed.

The card game here seemed to be practically poker.

It wasn’t the era when modern poker was established yet, but the basic framework seemed to be almost complete.

Basically, there was no significant difference in the game’s progress or hand rankings.

However, there were a few critical differences, and that was the weak point of this scam game that I was trying to exploit.

First of all, as with most gambling dens of this era, they didn’t use coins or chips like in modern times.

Most of what was put on the table was cash, or if not, valuables like gold or jewels.

Besides, they tended to complicate the calculations unnecessarily, which seemed to be heavily influenced by the vanity of the nobles.

It was a time when the upper class couldn’t stand having the same rules as the common citizens, so should it be considered natural?

A prime example was calculating the payout differently depending on the hand ranking.

For example, even if you bet 1 pound and won, the money you received from the opponent varied depending on the hand you won with.

As a result of observing so far, if you win with a combination of one pair or less, which is two of the same number, you take 0.5 times the money.

And from two pairs, where two pairs of the same number cards exist, it’s 1 times.

Next, three of a kind, also called a triple, a combination of three cards of the same number, is 2 times.

A straight, where 5 cards come out in a row, is 4 times.

Following that, a flush, where all 5 cards have the same suit, is 8 times.

A full house, holding both a triple and a one pair, is 16 times.

Four of a kind, also called four cards, a combination of 4 cards of the same number, is 32 times.

A straight flush, where 5 cards are in a row and have the same suit, is a whopping 64 times.

Finally, among straight flushes, a royal straight flush, consisting of cards A, K, Q, J, 10, has a rate of 256 times.

So, even if you bet 1 pound, you can get 256 pounds if you win with a royal straight flush.

Of course, a royal straight flush is something you might see once in about 650,000 poker games, so it’s right to consider it a non-existent combination.

Excluding these rates, it is virtually identical to modern poker in almost every respect, as analyzed earlier.

And I could roughly guess the reason for setting the rates differently like that.

If you decide in advance which combination to win with, it becomes easier to control the amount of money moving through the scam.

Besides, it also becomes easier to give the marks a taste of high odds at once and then recover it in multiple installments, or conversely, to let them win multiple times at small rates and then recover it all at once with high odds.

Frankly speaking, it means it’s easier to manipulate the marks [unsuspecting victims].

However, as I watched, the dealer who was cheating seemed to intentionally adjust the game so that combinations of four cards or higher rarely came out.

If combinations with too high odds occur frequently, it could raise suspicion, so they must be massaging the game appropriately.

That part is commendable.

“Oh dear, Wellesley is going to lose everything. It seems luck isn’t on his side today. If he wins big, he’ll feel better, and the chances of you getting a recommendation letter will increase…”

“I know, right? I’ll have to cheer him up later.”

James, who doesn’t know anything, was anxious watching Wellesley continue to lose money, but this was all according to plan.

Well, well. As expected, they’re taking from the bottom again.

I was watching to see if they would use other methods, but now I knew exactly how they were cheating.

The method they mainly use is bottom dealing, the most familiar trick to modern people among card scams.

Of course, it’s the bottom dealing from [Stop right there! Bottom dealing?].

Bottom dealing, simply put, is a technique of passing a pre-set combination at the bottom of the deck to the side you want.

Skilled technicians only pretend to shuffle the cards so that others don’t notice, and manipulate the game by giving favorable hands to specific people in this way.

People who are not immune to this technique have no choice but to be deceived by skilled technicians even when watching right in front of their eyes.

Just like Charles Wellesley until now.

“Oh no, Wellesley lost again?”

“A triple was a good enough hand to bet on, but the opponent had a straight. He must be upset?”

Every time the dealer did a bottom deal, I pretended to drink mulled wine, raised my glass, and gave Wellesley a signal, and it hit exactly as I said three times already.

At this point, Wellesley seemed to trust me completely, and he took deep breaths as much as possible as I told him, and didn’t show his emotions.

“Don’t worry, James. Anyway, Wellesley won some money last time, so he came thinking he was likely to lose it all today. So, he won’t be feeling that bad.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief, but…”

James is someone who hates gambling, so he doesn’t know the psychology well, but of course, it’s a ridiculous excuse.

Who in the world wouldn’t feel bad about losing money?

But Wellesley must lose a lot of money in this game.

That way, the plausibility of the future plan will be further reinforced.

Looking at it this way, the hand skills of the early 19th century aren’t as high as I thought.

Honestly, I’m a little disappointed.

It’s only about 200 years apart from modern times, but it was a bit unexpected that there was such a difference.

But when I think about it, it’s not that strange that the level of hustlers in the modern era I was active in and the 1830s are as different as heaven and earth.

It’s not because Korean hand skills are the best in the world! but probably because of modern advanced equipment.

Since high-tech equipment such as surveillance cameras and recordings are constantly used, scammers have no choice but to come up with all sorts of techniques to avoid getting caught.

In fact, not only hand skills but also other scam methods have evolved in this way, so there’s no reason why hustlers would be an exception.

Anyway, thanks to that, I’m completely convinced.

At this level, I can completely fleece them without them even knowing what’s happening.

Until there’s not a drop of water left in them, like a wrung-out rag.

* * *

In the end, as planned, Charles Wellesley lost all his money and returned to his mansion with me.

Thanks to what I had told him in advance, it wasn’t to the point of exploding with anger, but it was obvious that anger was building up in another direction.

“You seem a little heated.”

“Of course, I’m furious. I’ve been deceived by those scammer bastards until now, so there’s no way I can feel good.”

“But you’ll be getting it back several times over in the future, so calm down.”

“Hoo… Yes, I should. If it weren’t for you, I would have already overturned the game and sent those guys to jail. But why didn’t your butler come with us? Didn’t you say he came up with the plan?”

Well, that’s because I don’t intend to show my true colors to James or my father yet.

I leisurely took a deck of cards from Wellesley’s room and shuffled them.

I was worried that my senses would be completely ruined because my body had changed, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

If I practice steadily for a few days, I think about 80% of my senses will come back.

And even with that much, there’s no problem with mocking those clumsy scammers in front of my eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I lied a little.”

“What? A lie?”

“It wasn’t my butler who realized that Wellesley was being scammed and told me about the future plan. I just borrowed his name because I thought Wellesley wouldn’t believe me if I told the truth from the beginning. So, I sent him back.”

“What are you saying… so, could it be?”

“Yes, that’s probably right.”

It’s a secret to others, but Charles Wellesley is the person who has been selected as a shield to draw my aggro [attention] in the future.

When this is over, he will become my absolute ally, more than James… no, even more than that.

There’s no such thing as a one-in-a-million chance.

Because that’s what I’m going to make happen.

So, Wellesley needs to slowly learn and get used to this from now on.

I roughly explained my background to him, who was gaping.

Of course, he wouldn’t believe the content about my past life, so I left all that out.

“So… you grew up in a country called Joseon [historical Korean kingdom], in the corner of Asia, until recently? You came to England recently? That’s why I haven’t heard that the Aaron family has a child. Wait, but why are you so good at English?”

“Wellesley, doesn’t the world occasionally produce prodigies who defy common sense? It’s better to just understand it that way so you’ll be less shocked in the future.”

Calling myself a prodigy is more cringe-worthy than I imagined, but it’s better to pretend to be a great figure here as much as possible.

Because what happened at the gambling den earlier.

And the fact that I, who has only been in England for a few months, speak English so fluently is a definite fact.

With this alone, Wellesley can never consider me an ordinary ten-year-old.

“Goodness, I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with a ten-year-old more than I can believe I’ve been doing rigged gambling until now. So, what’s that perfect plan you’re thinking of? I’ve heard it roughly, but I haven’t heard how to put it into practice yet.”

“Of course, I have to tell you. But there are a few prerequisites for that. Wellesley, you need to know how those guys are cheating and have the eye to catch it on the spot.”

“Me? No… well, if you tell me, I’ll know the method, but those guys are seasoned scammers. If I watch too closely, it’ll be obvious, won’t it?”

“So, you have to train. You have to watch nonchalantly and catch them in the act of bottom dealing. If the evidence of the cards being taken out from the bottom is solid, they won’t be able to deny it.”

If you get caught doing a bottom deal in a regular gambling den, you’ll lose your wrist, but I don’t intend to let it go that far this time.

Even if we take the wrist, it won’t make money, right?

Assets that can be converted into cash are the best thing than such useless things.

“So, how do you do that training? Should I find a scammer with excellent hand skills from now on?”

“There’s no need for that. You can just train with me.”

I showed Wellesley a dazzling shuffle in front of him.

It was a truly poor level compared to my past life, but even this would look amazing to Wellesley.

“How can a ten-year-old have such hand movements…”

“Where I lived, this was normal. It’s a hell where the weak can’t survive.”

When cheating, you have to tell only the facts about the parts that the other person can check, but there’s no need to do that for the parts that you can never check.

He can’t send people to Joseon to check, so what can he do?

If I show the result and insist it’s right, my words just become the truth.

As I openly did a bottom deal in front of Wellesley and passed the cards to Wellesley’s side, his eyes shook greatly.

That’s because the cards in Wellesley’s hand were.

It was a four-card combination of 4 ACEs and one K that he had never touched at the gambling den today.

“Good heavens. When did you do that? I didn’t notice at all? This is normal? Then what is the country called Joseon…”

If he’s so surprised by just this much, I’ll have to worry about a heart attack in the future.

After that, I showed him the bottom deal a few more times and personally tested how far Wellesley’s jaw, which was gaping in astonishment, could go down.

Hmm, hmm.

The reaction of the 19th century is so delicious.

At this rate, I might get addicted first.