Edit: I get that he needed a way to get in good with the townspeople near the Chandrian-attacked farm, but that dragon/sweeteater part of the novel sits like a weird blob I must poke with a stick. Accidentally running into Denna out there, having her eat something disgusting sounding and clearly Not Food, finding a druggie dragon and then having to save a town from it really doesn't feel like it fits into the story for me. He did have several other unexpected occurrences through the course of the novel, but this doesn't work well w/o some major disbelief-suspension, imo.

The whole "Dragon" story tangent serves no real purpose in the story. The story was starting to drag, and while "Real life isn't like a story" we have a fight with a drugged out "dragon", a rescue, a burning town. It just doesn't fit with the rest of the narrative, not in style, pacing, or purpose.