Everyone imitated Zhao Wei and broke the roll into two. They found that despite the crispy and tough looking exterior, right under it was a soft and juicy piece of meat they couldn't get enough of.

Some would use a spoon to dig out the interior, it when they put the spoon in their mouth, the perfectly cooked meat felt like little drops of juice, entering and somehow vanis.h.i.+ng into their throat before they realized it, always keeping them wanting more. The peppers inside gave just a slight sting that stimulated their taste buds to the peak.

To Zhao Wei's surprise, most of them didn't come empty handed either. They brought all manner of Dracarian delicacies to share. But once they had a taste of the snake roll they were too intertwined by the flavors to want to taste their own.

Only after all of it ran out did everyone begin to mingle and look for more food as their appet.i.tes were aroused but not satisfied.

The night became boisterous as everyone began to mingle. At some point some people turned to look for Zhao Wei and could only laugh at his state.

At some point in the night, the girl from the morning brought her friends over to play, climbing all over Zhao Wei. After tiring themselves out, the little b.u.g.g.e.rs coiled their tails around his body as they slept. Each limb was wrapped up tightly in their embrace.

Zhao Wei wanted to escape, but he couldn't do anything lest he wake up the soundly sleeping children.

Only when the whole event was over did their parents remember to pick their kids up to Zhao Wei's relief. His nose was getting itchy and he couldn't bend it.The will he required to resist the urge was the hardest he'd had to muster so far.

When everyone went back, Eyisha came over. "Hey..." there was one kid left in his arms.

"Hey" he replied.

"So... I guess I just wanted to say goodnight." To this Zhao Wei simply nodded. "And thank you." She finished with a bow.

Astonished, Zhao Wei looked up, "What for?"

"I know that... I haven't treated you very well thus far, and honestly... I think that nothing I could do could actually make up for it especially after all you've done for my people despite that..." She kept her head down, "if I were you, I would've killed me ten times over and I'm sure you have the capability to do just that." She finally looked up, "thanks for that... I guess.."

As she finished she straightened herself and moved her own way, "goodnight..."

"Yeah..." he replied, if she'd turned, maybe she would've been surprised by the pained face he was showing.

———————————————————————————————————

4 nights ago,

Almost everyone had already given up on calling Zhao Wei out. They figured that if he cleaned the beast's meat then he would come out on his own.

Zhao Wei however was quite frantic. His act of cutting the meat was really just something to busy himself with to keep his mind occupied and make sure he was so tired he didn't have any dreams as he slept.

But it was becoming less effective as time pa.s.sed, he had to continuously push himself to be even more vigorous in this endeavor. And yet it took him longer and longer to tire himself out and even then the dreamless nights were few and far in between.

At this time he hadn't slept for 8 days and nights, thinking that if he didn't sleep there was no risk of meeting her. But the thing that haunted his dreams began to encroach in reality.

He could feel her, watching him, just at the corner of his eye and disappearing when he turned. Maybe she was messing with him or maybe he just didn't want to see her right now, either way it pushed him to the brink.

At some point he wasn't really progressing at all, the cutting of the meat turned into reckless. .h.i.tting and punching. Smas.h.i.+ng his fist against anything he could find, but it didn't hurt him. Why didn't it hurt? he needed it, he needed to feel the pain, pain might be the only thing that could give him a strong enough sensation to relieve him of his affliction, maybe for a little while.

As his fist landed it shook the body of the Jormugandr, or at least what was left of it. His eyes had long turned blood shot and his breath was heavy, and yet reprieve from his affliction continued to elude him. Finally the broken mind did what all broken minds did when they reached their limit, they found something to blame for what they were going through, and Zhao Wei knew just the thing.