The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Chapter 114 The Leap of Faith

"Swordfishing is not fishing; it's a violent confrontation between humans and fish. Our boat is made of wood, and during high-speed chases, it is very likely to crack due to the impact of waves or attacks from swordfish. As crew members, we need to be able to accurately assess the condition of the boat by relying solely on the feel and sound of our feet in extreme environments where the boat is rocking violently and our companions are fighting with the swordfish."

Pegrelini pointed to a large area at the stern and said to Leo, "Go and check if this section of the deck is sturdy and if the seams are tight."

This is also one of the essential qualities for fishermen.

A qualified fisherman needs to understand boats and master basic boat repair principles.

After hearing the exam questions, Leo fell into deep thought once again.

Four or five seconds later, he began to move at the stern.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes stopping to stomp his feet, sometimes hopping a few steps, sometimes drawing circles, sometimes spinning... His expensive leather shoes made a crisp tapping sound on the deck, just like a pioneering artist performing a new style of tap dance.

Finally, he lay down on the deck, pressed his ear against it, and gently tapped.

"It's finally starting to look somewhat professional..." Pegrelini prompted, "What do you think this crisp, thumping sound represents?"

Leo blinked and asked, "Is it hollow underneath?"

Pegrelinni rubbed his face vigorously with both hands a few times, and didn't forget to pinch his philtrum during the process.

Who exactly did Malzamemi send here?

With such a handsome face, wearing an expensive shirt and leather shoes, he's here to walk the runway in Messina?

Calm down, calm down...

Peglerini consoled himself, after all, this was someone Antonino had introduced, and the due respect and courtesy should still be shown.

Since he's already reached his limit, he might as well stay with the rowers.

"When hunting swordfish, the boat must be as quiet as possible. Swordfish have extremely sensitive hearing, and any loud shouts, clanging of metal, or running on deck will disturb the fish and ruin hours of tracking. Once the lookout spots a swordfish at the top of the mast, he must communicate it to everyone on board using 'silent' language or flag signals, and the helmsman must make precise turns based solely on these signals."

Peglerini, displaying all his composure, said, "Let's go to the cabin, and you and the helmsman can exchange a few words using gestures."

Leo stepped in front of Peglerini, not wanting to waste his time: "I don't know hand gestures either; this is my first time on a ship."

Peglelini made no attempt to hide it as he pinched the philtrum.

His half-closed eyes finally opened fully, revealing his amber pupils: "I don't want to delve into why Malzamemi sent you here, I just want to know... what can you do?"

Hey handsome, you don't even know how to row a boat, do you?

Leo picked up the black box that was placed to the side, patted it, and said, "I can hunt fish."

Peglerini shook his head repeatedly: "You can't be a thrower, it's too dangerous."

Leo pointed to the antenna overhead, then asked eagerly, "And what about this?"

Bianchi had warned Leo that becoming a pitcher was basically out of the question.

The villagers don't know anything; they've only heard rumors, which is why they're pushing Rio to try and get the title of "Silverfin Hunter."

In fact, this title has not been awarded for a long time, because the Cumanso family will not allow those who come to help to face the dangerous swordfish directly.

Those who went to help could obtain the highest possible position: a lookout on the high mast.

However, it's perfectly fine for Leo to bring a harpoon; he can show off his skills to them.

Peglerini has already given up, leaving Leo to his son Gatti and not wanting to care anymore: "Go if you want, just remember to let us know before you throw up. Gatti, put a safety rope on him."

Gatti trotted over, his face full of anticipation.

Next up is his favorite segment: "A brave man sets off without hesitation, gradually retreats, stops several times along the way to encourage himself, and finally reaches the top. He then asks, with his legs clamped between the swaying gun barrel, 'Can I only go down the same way?'"

There is only one path to the top of the mast: climb a rope ladder that is more than 20 meters high. The ladder serves as both a step and a handrail, and there are no barriers along the way.

The so-called "safety rope" is a very primitive waist safety belt, with one end tied around the waist and the other end hanging on the mast cable, which the climber moves manually.

Gatti skillfully fastened the seatbelt around Leo's waist, then secured the other end to the gun lanyard and tugged it twice.

"Do you want gloves? These mast ropes are a bit sharp," Gatti kindly reminded Leo, but when he turned around... Leo was gone.

Looking up again, Leo had already leaped more than three meters high and was rapidly climbing upwards using both his hands and feet.

"Hey, don't climb so fast! The higher you go, the more it shakes, and you'll throw up soon!" Gatti warned, tilting his head back.

The lookout mast is made of Mediterranean fir.

The thickest part of the root is 60 centimeters in diameter, which shrinks to more than 30 centimeters in the middle, and only 20 centimeters in diameter at the top.

It sways in the wind when no one touches it, and it sways even more when someone steps on it.

Leo, who had already climbed four or five meters high, shouted down to Gatti, "This thing is pretty fun!"

After saying that, it quickly climbed up another meter or so.

Leo climbed so fast that the entire mast swayed visibly, making the hearts of those below clench with fear.

Gatti was a little worried and said to the crew member next to him, "Go to the cabin and wake Rinaldi up. Tell him that the person who came to help today might be in trouble."

The bloodline of the "Son of the Sea" was awakened the moment they saw the ancient tall-masted wooden ship up close.

Leo had long wanted to climb up this antenna to take a look.

The higher the mast climbs, the more it sways, but the more it sways, the more excited Leo becomes. It is at this time that the "Beginning of Control" skill plays a crucial role.

No matter how much the pole swayed, Leo clung to it tightly, like a soft seaweed.

At this moment, what the seaweed really wants to do is remove the cumbersome safety rope, press the "B" button a few times, and jump to the top to see the view.

Finally, his hand left the last section of the rope ladder and stepped onto the wooden observation deck, which was about 1 meter in diameter. There were no railings or barriers; it was just a suspended wooden plank.

The wooden boat is moving, with no safety measures around it. Standing on the suspended planks gives one the feeling of flying.

Leo opened his arms and shouted "Oh ho ho ho!" twice.

So cool!

The entire sea stretched out before my eyes—

Ahead lay an endless sea, without a single ship in sight.

To the left is Messina, where you can see pedestrians celebrating.

To the right is the land across the strait, hazy and indistinct, like a gray line pasted on the horizontal surface.

Looking up, the sun shone brightly, its golden rays almost blinding.

Looking down...

"Where's my haystack?"

With such a great observation deck, it would be a waste not to take a "leap of faith".

He couldn't find the haystack, but saw several people on the deck shouting at him.

"What are you talking about?" Leo shouted at the people below.

The sea breeze was making noise, and I couldn't make out what they were shouting.

Leo gestured and asked, "Are you telling me how to get down?"

Normally, those below communicate with those above using gestures and flag signals, but unfortunately, the person going up today is illiterate, so they can only shout.

The wind was strong up there, and Leo couldn't hear them clearly for a moment.

But those below could clearly hear Leo's shouts.

Gatti said to his brother Rinaldi, "This pole is too wobbly. Look, he can't get down and is asking us what to do."

Rinaldi, still grumpy from being woken up, scolded his brother: "Why didn't you remind him to be careful while he was climbing? Now he's wobbling like this, and there's wind. What can he do but stand there and wait?"

Gatti said aggrievedly, "I reminded him, and it's not my job, it's Dad's. Dad dumped him on me and went to rest."

""

Leo, who couldn't hear the people below, continued to ask, "Are you telling me how to get down?"

Furious, Rinaldi yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to shut him up: "Of course we wait for the pole to stop swaying and climb back down the way we came! Do you think you can jump down, you bastard?"

"Shut the fuck up! He's really untying the rope!" Peglerini ran out to see what was happening and saw Leo untying the safety rope.

"Oh no! Quick! Stop him!"

Chaos reigned on the ship!