The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Chapter 147 The Smile Gradually Becomes Perverted

Leo's good luck, which had lasted for more than a week, came to an end while he was searching for that precious sponge.

Yesterday, he didn't even go to the fish market.

The person who was most heartbroken after this happened was Aesop.

After he informed the high-end seafood buyers in Syracuse about the impressive figure in Marzamemi, they made a special trip to meet with Aesop to inquire about Leo's situation in detail.

Aesop showered Leo with praise, hoping to use this as a way to build a connection with him.

Unfortunately, Leo was eliminated the very next day.

Upon arriving in Marzamemi this morning, the first thing Aesop did was ask Natale where Rio was staying.

"Living in the shipyard in Salberto."

"Still living there..." Aesop was a little surprised, but didn't say much, just leaving Natale aside, "I'll deal with your goods later, I'm going to find Leo first."

"What do you want with Leo?" Natale asked from behind.

Aesop sighed, "Tell him to stop looking for that sponge and get back to work. He could have made a lot more money by using that time to find sea urchins and other things."

This Leo is obsessed with finding SpongeBob.

No sooner had they finished speaking than Leo appeared behind them, his voice sounding extremely anxious: "Yeah, how much is it for? You need to take a look quickly."

The two turned their heads and saw Leo carrying a large box filled with seawater, in which a large, plump, yellow sponge was soaking.

"You really found it?!" All the fishermen and fishmongers around gathered around.

A few days ago, only a small number of fishermen heard Salvatore's drunken remark that there was something very valuable off the coast of Sicily.

Thanks to Leo's hard work in spreading the word, now all the fishermen in Marzamemi know about this rumor.

There was no one buying sponges at the Syracuse fish market. Aesop didn't know the price and asked the other fishmongers around him, but all they could say was "Leo is awesome!"

Ultimately, Aesop decided to take the box of sponges to Syracuse first, saying he would call Leo back after finding out the price.

Leo had absolute faith in Aesop's character, so he entrusted the matter to him without hesitation.

After that, Rio stopped going out and couldn't even drink coffee anymore. He just plopped down in front of the phone in the coffee shop and waited for it to ring.

"So eager?" Marco mocked Leo.

Leo's expression that morning resembled that of a new father waiting outside the delivery room for his wife to give birth.

But I heard it's just a small handful of yellow sponges, how much can it sell for? You seem so anxious.

Leo shook his head, frustrated: "You don't understand."

Marco snorted: "I really don't understand. What real information could Salvatore possibly have? Everyone says it's fake, but you don't believe it. I don't know why you're so persistent in seeking it out."

Leo ignored Marco and lay on the bar, staring intently at the phone.

He was anxious because after harvesting the sponge, the system did not display a notification that the "Recover Family Hoard" task was completed.

He guessed that it might only count after the transaction was completed?

Around 10 a.m., Leo finally received the phone call he had been waiting for.

"Your sponge was taken by that group of high-end businessmen. There were 28 individual sponges in that cluster, 15 of which were mature."

个.

""

At this point, Aesop suddenly stopped.

Leo hurriedly brought the microphone closer and noticed that there were seven or eight other heads around it, all there to listen to gossip.

"Speak quickly," Leo urged.

Aesop's voice became erratic, and it was unclear what was happening on the other end: "Sold for 68 lira, you damn kid, you actually found something good."

People around him gasped and shouted when they heard the price.

In 1995, the price of gold was 63 lira per plate.

This little thing is more expensive than gold!

Salvi even shook Leo's shoulder.

But Leo clutched his chest, looking heartbroken.

His body was shaken so badly by Salvi that it looked like he had a stroke, but the real illness was a heart attack.

Why isn't the task showing as completed yet?

Isn't this the treasure?

Syracuse.

Aesop hung up the phone and walked out of the phone booth.

He said to the people in a car parked on the side of the road, "Leo said the price is fine, you can take it."

Sitting in the driver's seat was a portly middle-aged man who smiled at Aesop and said, "It's been a pleasure working with you. Remember to give us the good stuff next time!"

Aesop moved closer and asked in a low voice, "May I ask who's collecting these sponges?"

The man had a mysterious air about him: "Don't ask, it's not something you should be asking."

Aesop didn't ask any more questions and stood back next to the car: "I received some good stuff, I'll call you."

The man in the car said goodbye to Aesop: "I hope to receive your call soon."

"I hope to receive your call soon," just like saying goodbye when we part ways.

It's out of courtesy and politeness to say it out loud.

Unexpectedly, the portly man soon received calls from Aesop, and they kept coming.

Even more frightening is that Aesop wasn't selling him ordinary stuff like lobsters and abalone, but sponges!

All kinds of sponges!!

the next day.

Do you accept brown tubular sponges?

Day three.

"Today's sponge is also yellow, I heard it's called a horse sponge, do you want a horse sponge?"

Fourth day.

"A big bunch of sponges that look like lychees, want some?"

Day .

"Tortoise shell file sponge".

On the sixth day... the heavily pregnant man couldn't take it anymore and answered the phone, asking directly.

"Did Leo find the sponge again?"

Aesop's laughter came from across the room: "Yes, today's are Mediterranean silk sponges. There aren't many, only two. Want some?"

The portly man chuckled happily a few times: "Wait here, I'll go ask the boss."

After hanging up with Aesop, the man dialed another number. Before the call even connected, he was already in a flattering pose, as if there was someone on the other end.

A few seconds later, he said with a fawning smile, "Boss, we found a new sponge today. It's a Mediterranean natural silk sponge. That's right, this stuff is hard to find. Hundreds of years ago, nobles started using it to make high-end toiletries."

"A sponge expert? I'm flattered. I've only become one in the last few days. I had no idea that sponges had such high commercial value. If I had known, I would have gone into this business long ago."

"Yes, it was found by my incredibly skilled brother! Yes, yes, Marzamemi's Leo! Yes, yes, that's right, the Silverfin Hunter, we know each other very well! Haha, good, good, I'll definitely introduce you two sometime. How about this sponge... would the French boss like it?"

"Okay, I'll personally deliver it to your factory this afternoon!"

Marco's coffee shop has been doing exceptionally well these past few days.

Every morning after the villagers finished shopping at the fish market, they would always come to him for a drink and keep Leo company while he waited for his phone call.

If the other party doesn't want it, everyone will chime in with a few insults, saying that the other party doesn't know what's good for them.

If the other side offers a high price, everyone cheers immediately; the scene is just like football fans watching the World Cup in a bar.

The phone rang right on time.

Leo made the sign of the cross on his chest, and everyone else followed suit.

Leo then made some other hand gestures in front of him, and the others stopped following him because they didn't know what he was gesturing.

Leo does this set of movements every day before answering the phone...

Seeing that he had stopped casting the spell, Salvi helped Leo pick up the receiver and held it to his ear.

The entire audience held their breath.

"They want it—"

'

The rest of his words were drowned out by the cheering screams of the fans, and Rio couldn't hear a single word.

Whether he can hear it or not doesn't matter much... At this moment, all he needs is to keep his eyes open and be able to see the system panel.

Leo collapsed onto the bar counter in agony and slammed his fist on the table a few times.

Compared to the villagers behind them, it looked like away team fans had mistakenly wandered into the home team's stands.

"Treasure, my treasure, where are you...?"

""

During this period, Leo collected every sponge he could find in the "Secret Garden".

Aside from the previously identified gold, brown, and black sponges, we'll collect the others as we see them.

Then came a long period of disappointment...disappointment...and more disappointment.

He hasn't rested for more than three weeks in order to find this treasure; his eyes are covered in sponges whether he's open or closed.

After receiving the phone call today, Leo returned to the shipyard feeling disheartened.

Tired, destroy it.

Love is whatever it is, I need to rest now.

There was only a little food left of the food that Rukia had fed her.

After lunch, Leo ran out of food supplies.

During this period, thanks to the two large bags of food, Leo was so focused on finding the sponge that he didn't go to the grocery store to buy any.

After lunch and another nap, Leo woke up and planned to go to the grocery store to shop.

He reached into his pocket and found he had no cash, so he went to his secret stash.

The nearest bank to Marzamemi is more than 100 kilometers away, and villagers always keep large amounts of cash at home.

Leo lived in a shipyard, which made it difficult to prevent theft. That's why he didn't dare keep his money in his bedroom and instead found a special place to store it.

The location of the vault was determined using the "Glimpses of the Eye," and Leo discovered a hidden compartment in an extremely difficult-to-find corner.

This place is so remote that even Leo would have a hard time getting in and out, let alone finding a thief.

Every day after he earned money, he would wrap the banknotes in a moisture-proof bag and put them in it, then carefully take them out when he needed them.

When Leo went to withdraw money today, he took out all the bags inside because he was going to Syracuse for a diving course tomorrow and wanted to deposit the money at the bank.

He hasn't had a single day off in the past three weeks.

First they searched for sea urchins, then they discovered mussel beds and learned how to find valuable marine products underwater, and finally this week they focused all their efforts on finding sponges.

Although he didn't find the treasure the system mentioned, his income increased with each stage.

Leo only knew that he had made a lot of money in the past three weeks, but he had never seriously calculated exactly how much he had made.

One pack, two packs, three packs...

When a dozen or so waterproof bags were taken out, a smile finally appeared on Leo's face.

He opened one more package, then two more, then three more...

He took out the banknotes and piled them up into several stacks. His smile grew even brighter, and his heart, which had been tormented by the treasure for the past few days, finally found solace.

As he counted the piles of money—one, two, three… his smile transformed from radiant to grotesque.

I kept asking myself, "Are you a pervert? Have you made so much money lately?"

Finally, after calculating one million, two million, three million... his smile vanished completely, replaced by tension.

I had absolutely no desire to go to the grocery store; only one thought occupied my mind: "I must deposit this 1800 million immediately!!"

There are a total of 1800 million here!

Although I once said I'd make a lot of money off what I got from Mexico, this is way too much...

He didn't feel comfortable leaving so much cash at the shipyard, nor did he feel at ease hiding it; he just wanted to put it in a safe bank.

But suddenly a flash of inspiration crossed his mind—

"Can I buy a big ship now?"

Leo found Bianchi praying with his mother in the church.

Do you know anyone around here who sells boats? Even from other villages.

There's no need to buy a new boat, at least not right now.

Marzamemi Wharf is small, and there aren't many boats. It's difficult to find second-hand fishing boats in the village.

Leo planned to ask Bianchi if his brothers had heard anything.

Bianchi blurted out, "We have them in our village."

"Who is it?" Leo asked, startled.

He's been so obsessed with SpongeBob lately that he hasn't been keeping up with any news from the village.

Bianchi looked like he had something to say: "It's Enzo... Enzo has decided to sell the ship."