The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

"What's the big deal? The government issues similar regulations several times a year, but when have they ever been implemented?" said Paul, the old fisherman with his hat askew, nonchalantly.

The fish baskets in front of him were all empty; it seemed he had encountered a big buyer.

"I told you, this time I'm serious!" Riccardo, a slightly younger fisherman standing nearby, gestured with his hands.

"Impossible!" Old Paul shook his head. "Do you know how many fishing boats there are in Sicily? More than ten thousand! I guarantee that there aren't even three thousand licensed boats. Just getting those licenses renewed would take several years. Boats without licenses aren't allowed to go out to sea. Does that mean we won't eat seafood this year?"

"That's the second thing I wanted to say!" Riccardo gestured even faster with his hands. "I also heard that the government is going to set a fishing moratorium, so people won't be able to go out to sea all year round. This year's fishing moratorium is the last deadline for everyone to apply for a permit."

"That's even more impossible!" Old Paul said, his face flushed and his neck bulging. "They won't let me go out to sea? Let them try!"

Riccardo said dejectedly:

"You think that's all? I heard a third piece of news—"

"Are you sold out? If you are, hurry up and pack up, we have to leave." A tall, thin man in his forties appeared. He had dark brown skin and a horrifying scar on his arm.

"Sold out, sold out, get ready to pack up." Riccardo shut his mouth and lowered his head to work.

Several villagers warmly gathered around and greeted the man with the scar on his arm.

Good morning, Natale!

......

Leo was so anxious listening to them that he wished he could sit down next to them.

What's the third one? Keep telling me!

The message "[Who is whispering]" is followed by a hint of "(2/3)", indicating that the young fisherman will definitely complete the task after saying the third message.

The system may have bugs, but it's not stupid; these two pieces of "intelligence" are indeed quite crucial.

Even if this is fake news, it will become true sooner or later; this is an inevitable trend.

Leo glared at the guy named Natale who had ruined his plans.

He remembered this person.

Natale was the second fisherman to set up his stall this morning, arriving only a few minutes later than Rio, and the old man and young man he had just been chatting with came with him.

Judging from their conversations and behavior, Natale should be their leader.

Riccardo was clearly bursting with frustration; after busying himself for a while, he couldn't help but recount what he had heard.

Leo shifted his position twice more, adjusting the radar's orientation.

.......

After repeating the first two things he had heard, Riccardo suddenly looked at a bald man on the dock.

"The third rumor is that the licenses will specify the scope of operations and require separate qualifications. You can't just go out and arrest anything; if you are caught, you'll be fined to death! Boss, if this is true, should we talk to Enzo and have everyone separate their application scopes so that we can all make money?"

Old Paul made a sarcastic "stop talking nonsense" face and turned to chat with the person next to him about what to eat for lunch.

Natale didn't rush to refute, but thought for a moment and said:

"I'll take some time these next few days to visit Sandro's house and ask him what the requirements are for applying for a permit. We'll be prepared for both possibilities."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant!" Riccardo nodded in agreement.

"Who's going to see Sandro?" A villager passing by overheard their conversation and said to Natale, "I advise you to wait a few days. Angie and Sandro had a huge fight yesterday, and Sandro almost had a heart attack. Let him rest for a few days. That son of his is such a worry!"

Natale shook his head helplessly:

"Did you two argue again? How many times has this happened this year?"

.......

Is Agnelli Sandro's son?

Leo blinked a few times, looking quite gossipy.

It was as shocking as witnessing two parallel lines come into focus.

However, these are just rumors; what's important are the three pieces of "information" the young fisherman mentioned.

First, the government should regulate the qualifications of commercial fishing vessels.

Second, the introduction of a fishing moratorium.

Third, fishing boats have clearly defined operating areas when they go out to sea; they cannot do everything.

As expected, the system displayed a notification that the "Who is Whispering" task had been completed.

Moreover, the evaluation given was excellent.

The intelligence you gathered has been rated as excellent; a special reward is being distributed...

[Congratulations, host, you have received the skill reward—Severe Interrogation!]

[Interrogation: After you say "I'm afraid it's not that simple" and remain silent for more than 3 seconds, the other party will feel uncomfortable and take the initiative to start a conversation. There is a 40% chance that they will reveal valuable information (the cooldown time is 4 hours at the current level, and the success rate will be greatly reduced when facing a stronger opponent)]

[System Note: Torture instruments don't necessarily have to be rusty and bloodstained; that doesn't fit the Godfather's image. In the Godfather's dictionary, the sharpest torture instrument isn't a knife, but silence. Let the other person hear the sound of their own heartbeat in your silence, and they will fill that emptiness with words—first the unimportant ones, then the important ones, and finally, the ones they swear they'll never tell anyone.]

[Please continue to increase your influence and acquire more abilities.]

This is another skill that sounds incredibly powerful!

"Is the excellent rating because the system judged these three pieces of information to be very important?" Leo pondered, stroking his chin. "But the system described it as 'important' intelligence. Ordinary intelligence shouldn't be judged as successful, like those trivial matters."

"Or perhaps the quantity is too high? Is the father-son relationship between Angie and Sandro also considered important intelligence?" Natale and the others left, and without a source of intelligence, Leo was lost in his own thoughts.

Suddenly it got dark overhead. Someone passed by, but I didn't hear any strange morning greetings.

Leo looked up, smiled, and greeted him.

Good morning, Aesop.

Aesop is a merchant who specializes in buying fish from Marzamemi and selling them in the city; he appears at the fish market every day.

He nodded in response.

Seeing the crab in front of Leo, he was somewhat surprised, but said nothing and did not stop walking.

Leo called out to Aesop:

"Look at my crabs, I caught them all this morning."

The intelligence gathering mission is complete; it would be even better if we could make some more money.

Aesop shook his head indifferently:

"Ask someone else."

Leo tried his best:

"I can sell it to you at a lower price."

Aesop continued to shake his head:

"I only accept seashells and crabs from Natale, and you have too few of these."

Natale arrived early, so Rio observed his catch, which was indeed mostly shellfish and crabs.

"Does his fleet only catch shellfish and crabs?" Leo asked, watching Aesop's retreating figure.

Aesop's voice drifted from afar:

"Of course, not everyone can be as proficient in everything as Sandro's fleet."

The fish market closed, and not a single crab that Leo brought was sold.

However, his harvest today was exceptionally "abundant".

Besides obtaining those three useful pieces of government intelligence and a new skill.

It was also learned that the fishermen of Marzamemi each have their own unique characteristics, and the fleet has its own area of ​​expertise.

For example, Natale and that bald guy named Enzo may be competitors in some areas of maritime operations, while in other areas they are completely independent.

Leo also had some impression of bald Enzo.

In his memory, the first time he came to the fish market and found Aesop there, the person standing next to Aesop was Enzo, who must also be a local fisherman.

The above inferences are also very important and may affect Leo's next steps.

One more thing—

"The Sandro that everyone is talking about was actually a fisherman, and he seems to have a very powerful fleet of boats."

[Alert! Hostile forces detected!!]

You have triggered a limited-time mission: Gather enemy information.

[Another powerful force exists within your territory. Please obtain information about the members of this rival family within 24 hours.]

[Quest Reward: Reputation +2]

"Looks like I need to get to know this Sandro." Leo picked up the large basin and headed back home.