Chapter 1255

"It's nothing," Lily said, shaking her head and leaning into his arms. Suddenly, she asked, "I tested it today, and it's as I expected. Adding the essential oil delays the medicinal herbs' evaporation time."

Alexander nodded. He knew little about it but listened intently. "What are the implications?"

"If I repeat the process a few more times, I can convince them the experiment was successful and achieved the desired outcome."

Lily stretched, fiddling with her fingers. The scent of herbs clung to her from the institute, but fortunately, Galen was accustomed to her various aromas and wasn't bothered.

After a pause, Alexander said, "You still suspect ulterior motives, don't you? Should I have someone investigate?"

Lily shook her head. "It's not that I don't want you to, but there's nothing to find. I've checked the lab—no secret doors or rooms. It was an abandoned university lecture hall before this project. Professor Thompson is cautious and uncommunicative. I've asked him several times, but he just tells me to focus on the experiment. Today, I asked about the post-experiment tests, and he gave a vague answer before changing the subject."

The thought made Lily anxious.

"You're afraid they'll test it on humans?" Alexander asked, perceptive as always.

"Yes," Lily confirmed readily. "They said they'd use lab rats or rabbits, but you know medicinal herbs are different. Their effects take longer to appear."

"Making data monitoring difficult," Alexander agreed. "And the fragrance aspect is even harder to test. Rats and rabbits can't tell us what they smell. So, I suspect human testing." He gently caressed her cheek. "Don't worry too much. Since medicinal herbs save lives, even human testing shouldn't cause many negative effects, right?"

"It's not that simple!" Lily pulled away, sitting up straight. "There are many types of herbs; we can't test them all at once. The lab is only working with three."

"Three?"

"Yes," she nodded. "One is for anesthesia, similar to hospital anesthetics. They hope scented candles can deliver it subtly, with a stronger effect."

"Anesthesia?" Alexander questioned. "Hospitals already have that. Why create another?"

"The team said to start simple and observe results. If scented candles work, patients will more readily accept this innovation."

"Redundant," Alexander concluded after a moment's thought.

"Exactly," Lily agreed.

"Another has the opposite effect—a stimulant. It'll also be in scented candles, allowing comparison. Success with this would supposedly make further experiments easier."

"And the third?" Alexander asked, now fully engaged. "Is it something to make people feel euphoric, like they're on cloud nine?"