Palermo, a city on the northern edge of the island of Sicily, has an airport which sits on reclaimed land about one kilometer from its coast.
This is a beautiful city when viewed from the airport, has an ancient impression and a thick southern culture.
When the plane stopped and the pilot allowed the passengers to get off, Arthur and Amanda went straight to the exit.
"Mm..." Arthur sucked in the air with his eyes closed. The sensation between here and the north is quite a lot different. The air here is warmer and the sea makes it very refreshing.
"What do you think of the south?" Amanda asked, putting on her sunglasses again.
Arthur opened his eyes as he replied, "a place that automatically makes life more relaxed."
"Hahaha, you're right, that's why the south always lags behind the north." she laughed.
"Let's go," she added, taking a step into the airport building.
"Wait!" Suddenly Mia's voice was heard from behind. She hastily chased after them, followed by more than fifteen bodyguards in black suits.
As she chased after them, she took out a piece of paper from her bag.
Arthur slowed his pace a bit, waiting for her as he was quite interested in the paper.
As soon as she got behind them, Mia said, "Tonight, there is an auction, I will be the auctioneer, if you are not busy, you can come."
She handed the paper that was the invitation to Arthur instead of the more mature Amanda.
"Okay, see you later..." After saying that, Mia stepped away in another direction.
Amanda stared at the invitation, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Heaven Gate Auction House, what a coincidence, they always have fine ancient artifacts," she said.
"Does it belong to the mafia here?"
"Yeah, and it's not just owned by one mafia group, it's owned by almost every mafia group here."
"That's quite interesting." Arthur folded the invitation and put it in his pocket.
"So you're going there tonight? Do you need money?" Amanda couldn't help but smile when she talked about money.
"We'll see," Arthur replied and continued on his way.
Amanda had prepared a car and two men who would accompany them. Both were local residents, looked to be over 45 years old, had a medium build and a typical southern face.
One named Aldo and one named Mario. Amanda already knew them because she used their services every time she came to this island.
According to her, she knew them through a college friend who came from here.
"Yoo, Mrs. Amanda, you are getting prettier with age," Aldo said with a southern accent as he approached Amanda and Arthur. What's unique about him is his slightly pug nose, like Asian people.
After greeting Amanda, he looked at Arthur before looking at Amanda again with a congratulatory smile.
"I thought you would still come alone, it turns out you already have a boyfriend, when do you plan to get married?" She asked.
Different places, different points of view. It might seem obvious that Arthur was a student, but on this island, many young people of Arthur's age had already joined society, and some who were quite conservative had even traditionally married.
Right after Aldo asked, Mario who was slightly shorter in body tapped him on the shoulder. "Don't say nonsense with your low knowledge," he said, scolding Aldo.
On the other hand, Amanda looked a bit embarrassed. She tossed her hair to cover up her changed expression and said, "Mr. Aldo, Mr. Mario, let's go, I think I'm starting to feel hot." She looked up slightly, staring at the sun that was getting closer and closer to the center of the sky.
"Ohh, yes, sorry, sorry, please come in," Mario replied then pointed his hand at a white van behind him.
It wasn't a simple van, but a luxurious car whose back room could be said to be a VIP room.
There are two long sofas, a table, a TV, a small refrigerator filled with various drinks, and several other facilities. Importantly, it was completely separated from the vestibule, having a dividing wall between the two rooms.
Arthur and Amanda entered the back room while the two middle-aged men entered the front room.
The engine is already on and it immediately moves.
"By the way, Mrs. Amanda, where are we going?" Asked Aldo. His voice echoed through a small speaker hanging from a corner of the car's ceiling.
Amanda took the small mic on the table and replied, "go to Goat Village!"
"Oh, yeah, okay, okay, please enjoy the ride, you guys can relax or do whatever you want, the sound won't be heard in here as long as the mic is off, hehehe." Aldo ended his words with a mischievous laugh.
What he said wasn't wrong. Arthur's surveillance found the soundproofing in the car to be very good and none of it looked as suspicious as a hidden camera.
Meanwhile, Amanda opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of low alcohol beer.
She placed it on the table then looked at Arthur. "Dear, want a drink?" She asked with a smile as if inviting to commit a crime.
Arthur ignoring the word she used to address him, he responded by shaking his head. "Too cheap for my tongue," he said.
For alcohol, he had his own standard, and he would not drink anything that was below that standard. Not that he cares about the taste, what matters is the quality.
For a moment, Amanda froze before laughing. "Right, how did I forget... Then, can you make an alcoholic drink that's just as delicious as that coffee? You know, it's a bigger industry."
"Maybe later," Arthur replied.
"Well, I'll be waiting then!"
Because Arthur refuses to drink beer, Amanda cancels her intention to drink. She replaced it with a coke and Arthur didn't mind that.
At the same time, the car finally entered the bridge connecting the airport and Sicily Island.
It was quite crowded, but not to the point of getting stuck so every car was still able to go pretty fast. Of course, most cars prefer to move slowly because the scenery on the left and right of the bridge is something that can heal mental health that is disturbed by the harshness of life.
The sea there is very clear, you can see a few meters down quite clearly. On it, many ships pass, from small boats to quite large cruise ships. At the end of the bridge there is also a port, but it's not a port for goods, it's a port for private ships.