The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Early morning is the prime time for beachcombing.

The shipyard is built by the sea, so wanting to find something to eat in the sea is like taking a stroll in your own garden.

One second, Leo was lying in bed stretching, thankful that he had made the right decision to go and buy a mosquito net and mosquito coils last night, because he slept so soundly.

The next second he appeared on the beach with a bucket and tools, his eyes still half-open.

The Mediterranean Sea is hailed as the "cradle of civilization," but it is actually a huge crustal depression formed over thousands of years.

This vast body of water is almost entirely surrounded by land, stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in the west to the coastlines of Turkey, Syria, and Israel in the east, connecting and separating the three continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Its water temperature has never fallen below 10 degrees Celsius, and it has maintained a relatively closed state for many years, thus forming a unique ecological environment with a rich variety of marine species. You can find a lot of edible things just by taking a stroll along the coast.

The coast of Marzamemi has two types of terrain.

Several areas near the north of the village are covered with fine gold sand, with gentle shallows and wide intertidal zones, making them excellent spots for shellfish digging.

More often, the coastline consists of reefs and embankments formed by limestone and volcanic rock, which is the type of coastline where the shipyard is located.

This type of coastline is a favorite habitat for reef creatures such as snails and crabs.

As the tide recedes in the early morning, large areas of reefs are exposed, forming several small puddles. If you're lucky, you can find small fish and shrimp in them.

However, instead of spotting small fish and shrimp, Leo discovered a local species called peacockweed on the exposed rocks.

Peacock seaweed is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea. It is fan-shaped or funnel-shaped with lobes at the edges and dark stripes on the surface. It often appears near the coast at low tide.

Leo touched it gently; it felt like a thin, slightly calcium-rich paper, and it was quite hard and brittle, confirming that it was indeed something he had seen in the book.

Peacock seaweed is inedible, but this discovery boosted Leo's confidence in developing his business in Sicily—his previous life's knowledge had finally come in handy in Marzamemi.

Everything went smoothly from there. The exposed rock surface was covered with mussels and whelks, which could be easily scraped off with a knife with a little effort, as if they were free.

After prying open a bucket, Leo wasn't satisfied with just mussels and whelks; he set his sights on what lay beneath the rocks.

There were no small pebbles to turn over nearby; instead, there were large chunks of limestone and volcanic rock reefs.

In this way, to get what's under the reef, you have to reach down by hand, and only into crevices or holes where you can't see clearly.

On his first attempt, Leo didn't dare to go into the deeper areas, only staying in the shallow waters.

After searching carefully for a while, I only found a few tiny shrimp that weren't even enough to fill a tooth gap.

Just as he was hesitating whether to try his luck in a deeper area, his fingers, which had been probing into the crevices of the rocks, transmitted a different message—he had encountered a slippery, moving object.

Both sides seemed startled and reacted simultaneously.

Leo pulled his hand back, and at the same time, a menacing blue "general" rushed out from the crevice of the reef—its two bright blue pincers raised high, in an aggressive stance.

"What a coincidence, it's also an 'outsider'." Leo recognized the thing at a glance.

This "blue general" is called the Atlantic blue crab. Despite its name, it can be found in Central America, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Mediterranean Sea.

In the Mediterranean, it is a serious invasive species, which has multiplied exponentially due to the lack of natural predators, and can be seen on coastlines of all terrains.

This has led many coastal countries, including Italy, to strongly urge their citizens to incorporate it into their meals.

Atlantic blue crabs are large, with adults typically exceeding 20 centimeters in width. Their meat is firm and sweet, making them a favorite among coastal residents and also holding significant commercial value.

China also has blue crabs, but they are not Atlantic blue crabs; they are swimming crabs distributed along the southeastern coast. Their shells have beautiful blue markings, and their meat is very tender.

Leo wanted to taste the Atlantic blue crab and reached out to grab it, but the general reacted faster, attacking several times with its pincers and dismantling Leo's move.

Leo was not discouraged. He had watched many videos of crab catching, and the bloggers in them all mentioned a key point—you have to go around to the back of the crab and shoot, and you'll hit it every time.

The rocky terrain made movement difficult, so Leo tiptoed to his feet, intending to circle around behind the crab.

However, as soon as he left his original spot, the cunning Atlantic blue crab quickly moved sideways to another reef and disappeared from sight.

"I'll have to rely on myself—" Leo lowered his center of gravity and searched for its tracks again.

Leo used to love sports and was proficient in many sports. He had good explosive power and reaction speed.

But after a few exchanges, he was convinced that catching Atlantic blue crabs by hand with his current strength would be quite difficult in this complex reef terrain.

We can definitely catch them, but it will take a while of wits and courage, and it also depends on luck.

However, a huge banner for "Atlantic Blue Crab Buffet" has already appeared in front of me and won't go away... How could I give up so easily?

"I have to catch you today."

......

Before long, the man and the crab met again.

This time, the opponent was more alert. As soon as it sensed the disturbance on the water, it moved to the next hiding place, transforming into "Blue Lightning" and moving even faster than before.

Coincidentally, Leo learned his lesson this time and did not watch his target disappear.

With a swift, invisible strike, he didn't directly grab the crab's body, but he made it stagger, preventing its escape.

Before the bewildered crab could recover, Leo swiftly and accurately grabbed its body and lifted it high into the air.

He used the "Precision Strike" technique in both of his attacks.

Even the system probably didn't expect... that Leo would use his killing skills to deal with crabs and tuna.

"To be honest, this skill works pretty well in Sicily," Leo said with a laugh, flicking the blue crab's head.

All of the above proves one point: knowledge is dead, but people are alive.

Who says you have to go behind someone to catch a crab with your bare hands?

I prefer a direct approach.

And who said that the "obstacles" in Sicily must be people?

Look at this crab, it looks so defiant, it's getting in my way while I'm eating. I have to beat it until it submits today.

Having been flicked on the head, the blue crab, suspended in mid-air, began to wave its ten fingers rapidly, especially its pair of strong claws, which clamped and swung with great force.

Upon seeing this, Leo suddenly thought of a possibility and, on a whim, executed the Blue Crab on the spot.

[The host has eliminated a crab that intended to attack you.]

[System evaluation in progress...]

After a long silence.

Overall rating: Pass

[Congratulations, host! The "Lamb to the Slaughter" mission is complete!]

[Host: Leo Volpe]

[Identity: Anonymous]

[Reputation: 3]

[Faction: 0]

Leo chuckled contentedly.

A bug-based system can indeed run on bugs.