1.
I saw someone quaffing a drink because he didn't want to get into trouble.
2. I saw someone with two ducats and wen't to greet him.
3. I went to the store and bought 5 ducats which the guy said were really rare.
It seems that the writer is expressing their opinion, trying to get others to understand and maybe even believe their opinion as well. It appears to be an unpopular opinion, and they're backing it up with some pretty sound reasoning. The writer's intent might be to make people think, and consider their point of view.
Answer:
The sentence it will introduce will be contrasting to the sentence(s) before that.
Explanation:
E.g. I woke up late. <em>However</em>, I got to school on time.
["However" here contrasted the idea that "I" might be late for school since "I" woke up late]