I dry the buds themselves for 5 days and they are quite dry on the outside and still alive on the inside, should I let them ferment?

thise depends on many factors, but if they feel dry on outside, that typically means another 12-24 hours. you can 'sweat' them in closed containers and pull out to dry more as the deeper moisture spreads back out to surface in a noticeable way (softened exterior). I would suggest becoming familiar in other ways while it's onthe drying rack. Putting it in early to "sweat" is going to grow more microbes than other options, plus you are now have to fiddle with it and take it out, put it back in repeatedly. feel the weight.. easiest way to familiarize yourself without using the "sweating" method. Can even weight some buds and see when they stop losing weight or the loss becomes very slow that some 2-way humidi packs have the capcity to easily absorb it in a sealed container until it does reach equilibrium weight. Best to use denser/bigger buds for worst-case scenario.