The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

The fish market in Marzamemi has 15-25 stalls daily, located on the stone embankment and covered bridge of the wharf.

Although there aren't many stalls, the catch is mostly arranged by type, in buckets and basins, and some stalls even set up tables to process the catch on-site, so the overall area is quite large.

Those who arrive late are placed on the stone-paved road connecting the covered bridge and the village center, which is why there are good and bad locations.

After attending several times, Leo had memorized the familiar faces at the fish market and their stall-setting habits.

After leaving his stall, he walked straight toward the dock, where Rosalia usually set up her stall on the side closest to the sea.

Actually, this is another part of the fish market, and some people find what they want without even going this far.

Sure enough, when Leo arrived, he found Rosalia's stall deserted. She stood motionless facing the sea, looking from a distance like a reef that refused to bow to the ocean, both silent and unyielding.

Leo walked very quietly and slowly, without disturbing the women watching the sea.

This would give him a perfect opportunity to observe Rosalia's stall.

Mostly a basket of sea urchins;

A small basket of shellfish, containing mussels, scallops, clams, and other kinds, as if it had been grabbed casually;

Four cleaned saddletails were placed on the ground next to the two fish baskets.

Saddletail is a gregarious fish, especially juveniles, which like to gather in groups and are mostly found on the nearshore seabed at depths of 5-20 meters.

It is a very common entry-level edible fish in the Mediterranean and is sold at many stalls in fish markets.

However, since they are gregarious fish, they usually appear in large baskets, and it is very rare to see only a few.

The fish placed next to the four saddle sea bream were even less common—they were three Mediterranean rainbow wrasse.

The Mediterranean rainbow wrasse, also known as the rainbow wrasse, is a unique fish species of the Mediterranean. It prefers to live near rocky reefs and seagrass beds.

All individuals are born female, but when they reach a body length of about 18 centimeters, they will transform into males. During the transformation process, they will undergo various color changes, hence the name "Rainbow".

This type of fish may look nice, but it has low commercial value. It has a bland taste and lean flesh, and it falls into the category of miscellaneous fish and scraps, so it is rarely seen at fish stalls.

At Rosalia's stall, the fish were cleaned and displayed, clearly for sale.

The items placed next to the Mediterranean rainbow wrasse are even more 'rare'.

It was a large mass of fish scraps glistening with salt and oil. Judging by the color, it should be tuna, but it contained all sorts of parts: fish meat, head, tail, and some indistinct internal organs.

This was the first time Leo had ever seen this stuff, and he guessed it might be some kind of local pickled specialty.

But this is a fish market at the docks, and pickled products shouldn't be here. He hadn't seen anyone selling pickled items at other stalls either.

After looking around, Leo deduced that the fisherman not only went out to sea at the wrong time, but also grabbed whatever he could find, making no sense whatsoever.

But with these seemingly minor details, the great detective had already pieced together the whole picture of the incident—

Rosalia's family has a tradition of pickling fish, so the clanging sounds at night must be from dissecting tuna.

The intestines stuck to the orange cat's mouth are either from tuna, Mediterranean rainbow wrasse, or saddle snapper.

Since there were no signs of the fish being processed here, it's clear that the stall owner prepared the fish at home and brought it out.

You have located the body dumping site of the deranged killer.

[Congratulations, host! The tracking mission is complete!]

Overall rating: Pass

[Host: Leo Volpe]

[Identity: Anonymous]

[Reputation: 10]

[Faction: 0]

[Skills: Precision strikes, torture to extract confessions]

[The host has met the skill upgrade requirements. Upgrade now?]

Having completed the mission and met the requirements for skill upgrade, Leo returned the way he came without alerting the people ahead.

He didn't know Rosalia, so there was no need for him to talk to her, and he didn't know what to say anyway, since he wasn't there to buy fish.

However, after taking only two steps, a deep female voice came from behind:

"It's windy today, it might rain, so be careful."

There was some distance between the stalls, and the voice was very soft, so Leo naturally assumed that the person was speaking to him.

Having been in Sicily for so many days, I've never experienced such hospitality.

He immediately turned around and replied with a big smile:

"I've also heard it's going to rain, please be careful."

But Rosalia behind him didn't look over; she remained facing the sea...

Leo stood there, stunned.

Did the shock at night cause you to hallucinate?

Upon hearing Leo's voice, Rosalia finally turned around... and was equally startled.

Then, very rudely, even unreasonably, he said:

"Is there something you need? If you're not buying anything, please move away from here."

One second, Leo thought he had met the kindest person in Sicily.

The next second, he thought the most "unreasonable" person in Sicily had appeared!

What did I do?

Why are you always so hostile towards me...?

"Just like last time, I was just passing by!" Leo retorted, not to be outdone, using a tone several times more forceful than usual.

After saying that, he turned and left.

Even as he reached his stall, Rosalia at the end of the corridor was still watching his every move. The reef that refused to bow to the sea had transformed into a 'sharp sword,' exuding a dangerous aura.

"No wonder your family produces a serial killer," Leo scoffed, turning his attention away from the scene.

Seeing Leo leave happily and return grumbling, Andrei assumed he had encountered Salvatore on the road. His eyes lit up as he looked in the direction Leo had just been looking, searching intently.

"Wait here for a moment, I have something to take care of."

Leo pinned the old man down and asked him:

"Is that woman named Rosalia mentally unstable?"

First, he talked to himself while looking at the sea, and then he started arguing with people for no reason. He doesn't act like a normal person at all.

Andrei was eager to leave:

"Rosalia? Why are you asking about her?"

Leo pointed to himself, looking aggrieved:

"I didn't do anything, but she told me to stay away from her. Another time, she treated me like I was a thief."

Andrei suddenly frowned, and his tone became stern:

"If she tells you to stay away from her, then you should stay away from her."

Leo grabbed Andro's arm again to prevent him from leaving and used [torture to extract a confession]:

"This matter isn't that simple, is it?"

Given Salvatore's experience, Leo was uneasy about not understanding the situation.

What if his family's serial killer comes looking for him one night?

He had to figure out why Rosalia was hostile towards him!

After spending several mornings together, Andrei had developed a basic level of trust in Leo, and three seconds later he plopped back down in his recliner:

"Marzamemi is so old, why do you have to hang around in front of that widow? You're a strange man from out of town, who knows what you're up to? What if you're like that bastard Salvatore, all you can think about is how to bully people? Her husband has been dead for over ten years, and she has no children, she's had a hard enough life! Yes, yes, Salvatore—"

Andrei broke free from Leo's arm:

"Review what I taught you yesterday, and I'll ask you questions when I get back."

Rosalia is a widow, and the answer Leo has been searching for has finally come to light—she is a fisherman who went out to sea alone in Marzamemi.

Moreover, through his previous "accidental" encounter, Leo also learned a lot of important information.

This should have been a happy thing, because he had been investigating for a long time.

But for some reason, Leo couldn't be happy.

Perhaps because at the end of the corridor, Rosalia had returned to her pose facing the sea, remaining motionless.

What is that reef that refuses to bow to the sea looking at?