The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Leo had no idea that a great opportunity was about to befall him.

He's still living his simple life, taking things one step at a time.

I earned 50 lira in 3 days. After distributing my share to Rosalia, I can finally pay back the money.

Andrei didn't expect the little fox to have raised enough money to buy equipment so quickly.

Upon inquiring, I learned that, aside from the hottest hours at midday and the boat time in Rosalia, Leo spent almost the entire day at sea.

"I'm not in a hurry to use it, why are you working so hard?" Andre scolded Leo.

Why is there another "Natale"?

Leo shook his head, explaining the same question countless times:

"I didn't risk my life, hurry up and take it, otherwise I'll keep thinking about it."

Andrei became even angrier, his eyes widening as if to ask:

Do you think I need your 500,000 lira?

Leo coaxed Andrei a couple of times before leaving—he wasn't working himself to the bone, but making money really can be addictive, especially when it comes to daily cash transactions.

The thought of what denomination of banknote a fish is equivalent to makes the Sea King wish he could spend 24 hours a day in the sea.

You've received a mission: Turn paper into weapons.

Mission Objective: Conquer more territory.

[System Note: You've mastered the art of making money, which is excellent. It means you're smarter than 90% of the people on the street, but smart people die the fastest. Anyone can take a banknote from your pocket, and anyone who wants to seize a piece of land has to think twice before doing so. Turn those banknotes into your territory; that's the 'chair' you sit on, and once you're in it, no one will dare to make you stand up.]

[Quest Reward: Reputation +5]

Leo spun around in place and asked Andrei:

"Actually, the reason I'm working so hard is because I'm in a hurry to rent a house in Marzamemi. Do you know whose house is available for rent?"

Leo wants to find a real home for him and the big orange cat.

They didn't find any sea urchins, but they unexpectedly found a way to hunt fish underwater.

Leo had planned to save some money before inquiring about houses, since there were many vacant houses in Malzamemi, more than half of which were uninhabited, and he guessed that finding one wouldn't be difficult.

But since the system has given us the task of 'occupying territory,' let's ask Andrei.

Andrei's students are all over Sicily, and it's impossible that these people can only help find diving equipment.

"Rent a place?" Andrei scratched his head. "Why rent?"

"I want to move out of the shipyard; the conditions there are terrible," Leo explained.

"Of course I know the shipyard conditions are terrible, and no one should live there. What I mean is—" Andrei's gold-rimmed reading glasses gleamed, "Houses are so cheap, why not buy one?"

Leo smiled.

Rich people always have a big mouth.

Buying a house is as easy as buying a chick.

In my past life, I couldn't save enough money for a toilet in the capital even after working for five years.

"I can't afford it," Leo said frankly, cleanly, and confidently.

"But renting a house is more expensive." Andrei put down his coffee cup. "There aren't many people renting out houses in Marzamemi."

Leo asked curiously:

Why?

Andrei, beaming with pride, said:

"Speaking of this house issue, we have to start from—"

Leo quickly called a halt, pretending to be angry, and said:

"I'm in a hurry to get out to sea, so make it quick. I'll come back early tonight to have dinner with you."

"Then I'll just say a few words!" Andrei was completely outmaneuvered by Leo, practically grinning from ear to ear. "Go early and come back soon; I'll have dinner ready and waiting for you!"

Marco, who was smoking, laughed and coughed incessantly.

It's true that everything has its counter.

Marzamemi finally has someone who can keep Andrei in check.

.......

Andrei teaches history, and he's quite good at talking about social and livelihood issues.

Leo didn't allow him to elaborate; he finished his story in just over ten minutes.

Combining his own understanding with the developments of later generations, Leo thoroughly clarified the situation.

In 1995, Marzamemi was just a dilapidated fishing village with no tourism industry whatsoever, and even its superior administrative unit, Sarakusa Province, had little to no trace of tourism.

The tourism industry in Sicily was boosted by the movie "Malèna," but the movie was filmed in Sarakusa in 1999 and released in 2000.

Marzamemi suffers from severe population outflow. Young laborers who are unwilling to become fishermen have no choice but to go elsewhere. Those who remain in the village are mostly retired elderly people, women, and children like Andrei.

In this situation, the house is not even worth as much as the car.

Even at such a low price, no one bought it.

Take that shipyard in Sauberto, for example; it's been listed for so long and not a single person has come to inquire about it.

Houses can't even be sold, let alone the rental market.

If Leo insists on renting, he can find a place, but he'll face...

"Renting a house is a terrible deal, it's a rip-off for poor people from out of town—" Andrei quickly corrected himself, "Renting a house costs two or three hundred thousand lira a month, while buying a house costs ten million, which do you think is more worthwhile?"

Leo quickly started doing the math.

Based on the current fishing efficiency, after deducting various costs and commissions, earning 15 yuan a day is not a problem.

But he's not made of iron; he needs to rest too.

Rosalia said that the fishermen of Marzamemi go out to sea for 20-24 days each month.

To be more aggressive, based on a 25-day work week, one could earn over 300 million yuan a month, an income comparable to that of high-class cattle and horses in major cities.

In Sicily, fishermen earn 1.5 to 4 times more than the average urban worker, and Rio has a lot of room for growth.

If you save 300 million a month, you can buy a house in 4 months.

Therefore, living in Marzamemi is definitely more cost-effective by buying a house, as it is currently a low-priced area for housing.

But this would delay his plans to settle down for several months, and he would have to continue living in the shipyard until he bought a house.

But Solberto returned just over two months later.

Leo had originally planned to use the money he had saved over the past few months to buy a large ship.

If we buy a large boat, the time to settle down will have to be postponed even further...

Leo asked Andre:

"Could you keep an eye out for any suitable houses for sale? I'll think about it."

Having understood the situation, he decided to take it one step at a time.

......

Leo hurried to the beach after leaving the village center.

From afar, a colossal creature could be seen sitting atop Rosalia's ship.

Compared to that behemoth, the small boat looked like a toy.

"Why did you take so long to get here?" Enzo asked, arms crossed.

Leo replied while placing the equipment:

"I just went to see Andrei to find out some things. Is there something you need?"

The two of them had just met at the fish market, which was less than an hour ago.

"Something's up." Enzo jumped barefoot off the small boat.

Leo, concerned for his people in the sea, proposed:

"How about we reschedule? I'm in a hurry to get out."

"What a coincidence, I'm in a hurry too." Enzo started doing the "big loop," his two thick arms swinging like a windmill, which startled Leo.

The "windmill" suddenly stopped, lowered its center of gravity, and touched the stern with one hand.

Enzo let out a muffled groan, and the small boat lurched forward four or five centimeters.

Leo was stunned.

Enzo pushed the boat forward with just one hand...

Enzo put another hand on the boat, and it quickly moved towards the open sea. He turned back to urge Leo on:

"Hurry up, I told you I'm in a hurry too."

Leo followed and helped push the boat, saying somewhat embarrassedly:

"Thank you... but aren't you going out to sea today?"

Look how polite you are, why are you even helping out?

"I'll go out with you today." With another muffled groan, Enzo started jogging on the beach, and the small boat sped off.

Unprepared both mentally and physically, Leo fell straight into the sea.