Chapter 1249

When Lily left the lab, Austin followed. She quickened her pace, but his longer legs and greater height allowed him to catch up. Soon, he stood before her, blocking her path. "Ms. Christian," he said.

"What is it, Mr. Fike?" Lily stopped, though she would have preferred to ignore him. She couldn't understand how he, a man who had risen to prominence through deceit and misrepresentation, had advanced so far in the field.

"You know this experiment is doomed, don't you? It's heading in the wrong direction. Why continue? Your husband has invested heavily in this project, hasn't he? Aren't you concerned about the wasted resources?"

"How would I know?" Lily replied, employing Austin's own mocking tone. "I'm just a woman who knows nothing about medicinal herbs. How could I possibly predict the outcome of this research? Mr. Fike, isn't your question rather contradictory?"

His initial retort was silenced for a moment before he began again. "Fine. I'll tell you. The entire project is flawed and cannot succeed! This research is pointless and should be abandoned!" A hint of fury edged his voice. Lily's gaze locked onto his with sudden interest.

Fascinating. I always thought he was a con man, but he seems knowledgeable. And he clearly has strong opinions about this research.

After a pause, Lily suppressed her dislike and asked more amicably, "Tell me, then. Why do you say it's impossible to succeed?"

Whether to persuade Lily or simply because he felt it necessary, Austin took a deep breath and explained earnestly, "First, understand there are millions of medicinal herbs, each with unique uses, scents, and properties. While your creativity is commendable, the approach is implausible.

Consider this: you're trying to mask the smell of medicinal herbs with fragrances. But each herb has its own distinct odor, requiring varying amounts of different scents to effectively cover them. This process would need to be repeated countless times, ultimately wasting resources – it's simply pointless!"

Lily remained silent, appearing thoughtful.

"Furthermore," Austin continued, "each herb has specific medicinal purposes. What after-effects will combining them with fragrances produce? Will there be negative consequences? We can't be sure, so who bears the responsibility if something goes wrong? And who can we test this on?"

Lily's initial light smile had faded by the end of Austin's explanation. Her expression grew serious as she stared at him. He was right. These were the same questions she'd posed to Thompson earlier. This research was far more complex than her previous projects.

Mixing fragrances, identifying scents, and testing them over time – those were manageable tasks. The product wouldn't endanger consumers. But adding medicinal herbs introduced a new layer of complexity. Without human trials and supporting research data, how could they market this product?

It was precisely these concerns that led Lily to want to halt the experiment.