The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Leo is a very adaptable person.

Living in the internet age, he has seen all sorts of unusual fantasies, melodramatic plots, and extraordinary people. Nothing, no matter how bizarre or unbelievable, can stir his emotions.

That's why it only took a few minutes to accept the fact that I had traveled through time.

However, what appeared before him at that moment completely blew his mind away.

[Host: Leo Volpe]

[Identity: Anonymous]

[Reputation: 0]

[Faction: 0]

[Evaluation: In Sicily, you're at the level of being "just a nobody on the side of the road." Oh wait, at least someone on the side of the road gets walked around, but you're completely ignored.]

[Host, please strive to complete the task and increase your influence.]

You have received the mission: A foothold.

In turbulent Sicily, those without roots are merely dust in the wind. Establish your first foothold here—it will become your shield, your spear, and the voice that proclaims your existence to this land.

[Quest Reward: Reputation +1]

Having received a good nine-year compulsory education, achieved all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics and labor in university, graduated from a top-tier university, was born under the national flag and grew up in the spring breeze, and received five-star reviews from every ex-girlfriend, Mr. Leo couldn't understand which of his outstanding qualities had attracted the [Godfather System].

Then came the devastating thought: Sicily in 1995 could not be said to be as prosperous and developed as big cities, but it certainly had nothing to do with "strife". How could he, a poor boy with no family power, no social background, no connections, and no job, become a new generation of godfather in the 1990s?

Then, he became even more distraught and started thinking—Who am I? Where am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is this system even working? How can it get the date wrong? This damn thing can even be two-faced. Who the hell are you calling a nobody on the street?

"Do you want to buy it? If not, just leave it."

The time spent contemplating life was too long. As for the boss, thinking that someone wanted to buy things in the store for free, he nervously stood up and looked at Leo with a wary eye.

"Oh, oh, it's special, I think I need it." Leo prepared to pay.

There are too many problems to figure out in a short time, but life goes on.

This plate has a unique shape and exquisite craftsmanship; it's a good buy as a gift.

But when his hand reached his pocket, he stopped.

"How much?" Leo asked the shopkeeper across the street.

The past few years of studying and living have almost completely depleted the compensation money from their parents' car accident.

There was a little left, but it was in the bank, and Leo didn't want to touch it unless absolutely necessary... It was his last line of defense.

My recent expenses can only be covered by the 30 lira sponsored by my uncle.

If it's too expensive, then forget it. He's very handy; if all else fails, he can wander around the neighborhood and make a gift using whatever materials he has on hand.

The owner packed the plate and handed it to Leo:

"3500 lira."

Leo was taken aback.

In the 90s, Italy's economic system was severely impacted by European integration, coupled with internal social problems and severe inflation.

3500 lira is just the price of two loaves of bread.

Is this price reasonable?

Leo's brief hesitation prompted the shopkeeper to speak again and offer a price reduction:

"Okay, 3000 lira! I swear, this is the cheapest price at the port. It might be cheaper in the old town, but you have luggage, so you're probably going to the bus station next, just like the other passengers who came by boat, right? You won't pass through the old town on your way to the bus station, so it's the best place to buy Mexican souvenirs."

Messina is a transit point connecting Sicily and the Apennine Peninsula. Many people like Leo who come here to try their luck use Messina as a base to take long-distance buses to all parts of Sicily.

Seeing that Leo still wouldn't take the bag, the shopkeeper said in exasperation:

"Buy it, and I'll have my son take you to the bus station. It'll be a twenty-minute walk, and it's the hottest part of the afternoon!"

Leo stared at the plate in the boss's hand, his light brown eyes filled with worry.

The economic situation in Sicily... doesn't seem very optimistic either.

.......

The boss kept his word and really did have his son take Leo to the bus station.

While waiting for the boss's son, Leo kept staring at the pattern on the plate.

It was a very peculiar creature, its gender was indiscernible, and it had no body; its three legs were wrapped around its head like a windmill.

I've seen similar patterns on many of the stalls I've passed by before.

With nothing else to do, the owner took the initiative to tell Leo the story of the strange creature on the plate.

"This is Medusa, the serpent spirit in Greek mythology who symbolizes wisdom."

"Medusa?"

"Sicily was once a Greek territory, and many people on the east coast admire Greek mythology."

Did Medusa have three legs?

"Haha, mythical creatures always come in many forms, don't they? These three legs are pointing towards Asia, Africa, and Italy respectively."

Leo examined the plate closely and discovered that Medusa's three legs were spread at different angles.

It actually corresponds to the location of Sicily on the map.

He looked up and smiled at the boss, saying:

"Can't we just say Europe? Saying Italy... is like this isn't Italy."

The boss suddenly turned serious and said:

"Italy is Italy, and Sicily is Sicily. Italian rules don't apply here. Is this your first time in Sicily? You look so young and naive. Let me give you some friendly advice: don't try to find 'gold' here like those other people. It's impossible. Just stay on the island for a few days and then go back."

......

The boss's son's mode of transportation is a bicycle.

Since it was free and he didn't have to pedal it himself, Leo didn't care about anything else.

Thinking of his boss's stern "warning," Leo couldn't help but bring up a similar topic on the way.

By combining the father's and son's words, Leo roughly understood what was going on.

Due to colonial oppression, population outflow, and the influence of the Mafia, the native inhabitants of Sicily are very cautious about outsiders. Unlike the warm and outgoing people in other European countries, they find it difficult to become familiar with strangers.

In the past two or three years, a large number of Italians have come to Sicily to "seek their fortune," but the results are mostly the same—they come full of enthusiasm but leave dejected, finding it difficult to integrate into the local community, let alone make money here.

"Locals don't make much money, so how can outsiders possibly get rich?" The young man stopped his bicycle, pointed to the long-distance bus station ahead, and said, "You have to take a bus from Messina to Catania, then transfer from Catania to Syracuse, and then... and then I don't know. Ask the locals when you get there. Hurry up, or you won't make it to Marzamemi before dark."

......

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and also the largest region in Italy.

Administratively, it is divided into nine provinces, and several small and medium-sized islands in the surrounding area are also included in the Sicilian region.

Messina is located in the northeast corner of Sicily, while Leo's destination is in the southeast corner, a considerable distance away.

He boarded a bus in Messina bound for Catania, enjoying the scenery that ranged from palm trees and azure coastlines to Baroque towns and magnificent active volcanoes. Before he knew it, he had arrived at his destination.

I found a bus at the Catania bus station bound for Syracuse province, and soon after the bus started moving, the scenery changed again.

The coastline has temporarily disappeared, and on both sides are vast fields that seem to be untended, with plants growing wildly and freely.

After driving for a while, signs of human activity gradually appeared. Patches of salt fields enveloped the road, and the car seemed to have entered a fairy tale.

Just as Leo was completely absorbed in the natural scenery along the way, the car turned a corner, leaving the heart of the mountains and the coastline reappeared, indicating that they had arrived at their destination, Syracuse Province.

By this time, Leo had lost all interest in appreciating the scenery.

With the sun about to set, he still hadn't figured out where his destination, Marzamemi, was, so he needed to hurry.

I asked the staff at the bus station and learned that Marzamemi is a small fishing village in Syracuse province, more than 40 minutes away, but there was no public transport to that place today.

Leo asked at several small hotels nearby, and the cheapest one charged 14000 lira per night for a bed.

In a big city, 30 lira is only enough for a normal man to live frugally for 15-20 days. But if you're a tourist, even in Sicily where prices are low, it's hard to survive for 10 days.

Leo decided to go to Marzamemi that day; his father's good friend couldn't possibly let him sleep on the streets, could he?

Things went smoothly from there. Leo only asked a few people and found a truck driver heading to Marzamemi. The driver quoted 5000 lira, and Leo got in without hesitation.

But he regretted it soon after starting the car...

Actually, everything was normal at first.

Later, Leo discovered something strange.

The country roads are not easy to drive on, with many potholes, but the driver always keeps one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand in a blind spot out of his sight.

Leo was worried and tossed and turned in his seat for a long time before finally seeing what the driver was doing with his other hand—that hand was actually holding a wooden stick that was three or four centimeters in diameter!

"Does this mean they think I'm a bad guy? Or have I run into a bad guy?" Leo pondered the possibility of jumping out of the car to escape.

To figure out the other party's intentions, he took the initiative to chat with the driver, but for every ten sentences Leo said, the other party only replied with one.

Ten minutes passed, and Leo only managed to glean a few useful pieces of information from the other party: "Marzamemi is a small fishing village with over 300 people; it's very clean and quiet." The other party didn't respond to anything else, especially anything about him.

On the contrary, Leo... was tricked into revealing quite a bit of information.

"What are you going to Marzamemi for?"

"Looking for someone."

"Who should I look for?"

"My father's best friend."

"What's your name?"

"Solberto Corti".

"Why do you want to see him?"

"I heard he opened a shipyard in Marzamemi, I'll go check it out."

The driver slammed on the brakes and pulled the car to the side of the road. The hand that had been gone for so long finally reappeared, scratching its face frantically several times, as if it had been holding back for a long time.

"Solberto's shipyard went bankrupt six months ago. Here's an extra 2000 lira; I can take you back now."

Leo could hardly believe his ears.

I haven't even been there yet! And... it's already closed down?!