With the return of its true master, a tense calm gradually settled over Hope Island. Whatever thoughts people had, they were now carefully hidden in the deepest corners of their hearts.
Very few people knew what the Governor had encountered at sea. All they could see was that everyone, apart from the Captain himself, had gone completely mad.
The crew was confined to a large villa for treatment, and their families all received generous compensation. This extravagantly decorated house, located in the Island Heart, was secretly nicknamed "the asylum." Rumors on the island claimed that the crew had all received a divine curse.
As for the Governor, he had remained inside the Governor's Mansion ever since his return, refusing to come out. All requests for an audience were denied. Even the servants and maids responsible for the mansion's upkeep were dismissed.
