Toothy grins, laughter, and, for the first time in a few minutes now, the rare barb. The men can't say, but they seem to each have an anecdote of the dazzling hangovers that come in force after.

They're convinced that the brew is a true step to enlightenment — and that even a well-meaning foreigner would struggle to refuse Arne's wisdom, after experiencing his might in this way. They will continue to egg Xie Lian on to consume the brew, pointing out that he cannot be one of them, one of the people, without proving his worth in some way.

Does he drink?