The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

The next morning.

The atmosphere at the Marzamemi fish market was unusually eerie.

Whether it's fishermen selling their goods or villagers buying things, they always unconsciously glance at a certain place.

Few dared to chat loudly or joke around... Bargaining was done in hushed tones.

This scene left the fishmongers from out of town completely baffled.

Every merchant who noticed something amiss would seek out a local fisherman they knew to find out what was going on, and then... a few more eyes would be secretly glancing at the end of the corridor in the fish market.

Yesterday, when Enzo led his men to "teach" those two Navas a lesson, Rosalia left first.

It reappeared this morning at the fish market.

Her performance yesterday was truly impressive.

Everyone wanted to see how she was doing today.

And far too many people share the same feeling as Leo—that they must never have a conflict with Rosalia in the future, lest they push this widow to the brink... She is truly willing to risk her life!

.......

Like other businessmen, Aesop noticed the unusual atmosphere and sought out several familiar locals to find out what was going on.

When he saw Enzo in the morning, he went over with a smile and joked:

"I've heard that Rosalia's reputation is now on par with yours, Malzamemi's toughest fist. I've come to interview you. What are your thoughts?"

In the past, when people mentioned "fierce", the image of a big-bearded bald man would automatically come to mind.

In the future, mentioning this word might bring up an extra person.

Enzo's reply was devoid of emotion:

"My feeling is that this is a good thing. From now on, anyone who dares to bully Rosalia will have to think twice about whether they can withstand the knife in her hand."

"You really can't seem to get excited about anything..." Aesop noticed that Enzo had no crew members around and no catch in front of him. "Didn't you go out yesterday?"

Enzo, the big guy, didn't have that much patience for anyone other than Sandro and his family.

He was too lazy to explain, nor was there any need to; he replied coldly:

"I don't want to go."

Aesop and Enzo had known each other for seven or eight years and knew that he was just that kind of person who "worked hard for three days and then relaxed for two," but he still asked curiously:

"Since you didn't go out yesterday and didn't have anything to sell, what are you doing at the fish market today?"

Enzo leaned against Aesop's truck:

"I've come to find you."

"Looking for me?" Aesop's expression froze for a moment, then he instinctively rolled up his sleeves, revealing arms as muscular as Enzo's. "You've run into someone even you can't handle?"

Enzo patted his bald head.

He realized that Monica's stereotype of him wasn't wrong...

The way he acts, whatever he says or does, makes people think he's about to start a fight.

"It's not that we're in trouble." Enzo pointed in a direction. "There's a new guy over there. Go and collect his crabs. I won't be at sea for the next few days, so you can make up for my quota."

Leo helped Rosalia, the wife of Enzo's deceased crew member, and also rescued and protected his beloved little Monica.

Regardless of which one it is, we should express our gratitude.

Enzo didn't like complicated methods; he preferred to solve problems in a practical way.

He consulted with several crew members and local fishermen to find out what Leo needed so he could provide the appropriate solution.

Others told him that this Leo hadn't been in Malzamemi for long, had little presence, and couldn't say what he needed.

However, he would come to the fish market every morning to sell crabs, and he would bring them in and take them back in the same way, selling them all in just one day.

Enzo thought to himself, "This is easy to solve."

Aesop has several regular partners in Marzamemi.

Natale was one of them, and Enzo was another.

Enzo happened to have no plans to go to sea recently, and he had a good relationship with Aesop, so he came up with a way to "thank" him—to have Aesop collect Leo's crabs.

Enzo wanted to explain the whole story to Aesop, but after only two words, Aesop interrupted him:

"You don't need to tell me why. You didn't ask me why when you helped me. I'll go over and collect Leo's crabs in a bit."

Enzo was not surprised by Aesop's reaction, otherwise he would not have spoken up.

He just said "there's a new guy over there," without mentioning Tirion's name.

How did Aesop know who he was talking about?

Enzo's eyebrows furrowed into a V-shape, making him look even fiercer.

"You know him too?"

Aesop thought of the tens of thousands of lira he had 'compensated' and said with a smile:

"We don't just know each other, we're actually quite close."

Enzo instinctively touched his large beard.

Rio had only been in Marzamemi for half a month, and before yesterday's events, Enzo had no idea that such a person existed.

The results of it?

His beloved little Monica told him not to be mean to "Brother Leo".

Elena, the older sister, said she wanted to express her gratitude to Leo.

Even the semi-retired Sandro remembered Marzamémi and Rio... and specifically instructed Enzo to pay off Simon's debt.

Now you're telling me that Aesop, the merchant, can also clearly pronounce Leo's name.

Am I being too "salty"?

"How do you know him?" Enzo asked.

Aesop took off his crumpled baseball cap and fanned himself with it.

"I brought him here; he's the son of one of Sorberto's friends."

"Solberto?" Enzo muttered.

Solberto also holds a high position in Marzamemi, but he has a rather eccentric temperament, so his reputation and influence are not as good as Sandro's.

However, Enzo and Sorberto had a pretty good relationship; both of them were the kind of people who didn't like to dawdle and were efficient in their work.

But Aesop wasn't finished speaking:

"Natale also asked me to look after him."

Enzo was genuinely surprised this time.

Why are so many people connected to Leo?

Aesop crossed his two thick arms and looked at Leo, who was listening to Andrei's lecture in the distance:

"Marzamemi has five fishermen for whom I'd be willing to 'lose money' in a deal. You and Natale are among them, and you've both asked me to look after Leo. I'll definitely make sure to take good care of him."

Enzo stood next to Aesop, side by side, watching Leo:

"From today onwards, I'll have to get to know this guy named Leo properly."

Aesop paused, turned his head, and asked:

"You don't know Leo?"

Enzo shook his head:

"He hasn't said a word."

Aesop's eyes widened infinitely:

"So you want me to take care of him?"

Enzo didn't want to bring up his family's private matters, so he simply repeated what Sandro had said.

After hearing the whole story, it was Aesop's turn to be surprised.

Sandro was a respected old captain among the fishermen of the entire East Coast. He was a righteous and reasonable man. Aesop, an outsider, was able to establish himself in the fish market of Marzamemi entirely thanks to Sandro's help.

This time, he'll have to take extra "care" of Leo!

Thinking of something, Aesop nudged Enzo on the shoulder, gesturing for Enzo to follow:

"I'll take you there to meet them."

Aesop planned to introduce Enzo to this young man who had only been in Marzamemi for half a month but had already attracted the attention of countless important figures.

Enzo shook his head:

"I've arranged to talk to Antonino about the fishing boat permits, let's do it tomorrow."

.......

The atmosphere at the fish market was unusually somber today.

Even the loud-voiced Andrei dared not lecture loudly anymore, only whispering to Leo.

This makes it even more like "chanting scriptures".

Leo was so drowsy and his eyes were glazed over by Andrei's antics that he seemed on the verge of collapsing.

Suddenly, a pair of shoes came into his view.

Looking up, I immediately became alert.

"Aesop!" Leo sat up straight.

My God of Wealth, have you finally remembered me?