# Settlement Layer (Base Layer)

#### 1. Consensus-Integrated Oracle Logic

InterLink utilizes a specialized consensus pipeline to integrate real-world data directly into the block validation phase:

* **Price-Injected Voting:** During the validation phase, network nodes broadcast the latest **BT/ITL** price data sourced from decentralized providers. The network immediately validates this data within the heartbeat of the consensus.
* **Real-Time Price Discovery:** By the time a block is finalized, the price for any internal swap is already agreed upon by the network. This eliminates the price lag found in standard AMMs and ensures that the **Auto-Swap** triggered by a retail payment uses the most accurate, verified rate.&#x20;

#### 2. High-Concurrency Processing (Non-Sequential Settlement)

To support a global network of merchants processing thousands of simultaneous transactions, the InterLink Core enables **Unordered Processing**:

* **Bypassing Sequence Bottlenecks:** Standard blockchains require sequential transaction ordering, which often causes bottlenecks. InterLink allows retail transactions to be processed in parallel without strict sequence requirements.
* **Deterministic Expiry:** The protocol uses a timestamp-based timeout mechanism. Transactions expire if they are not included in a block by a specific time, allowing for massive parallel processing of retail QR payments at scale.&#x20;

#### **3. Deterministic Finality Engine**

InterLink achieves absolute finality in 1-2 seconds.&#x20;

* Unlike probabilistic systems, once a transaction is included in a block, it is irreversible.
* This is critical for retail: a merchant can confirm a "Paid" status on their terminal instantly, ensuring no risk of double-spending or reversals.&#x20;

#### **4. Atomic Execution & State-Level Restrictions**

InterLink ensures that the payment and the asset appreciation (swap) are chemically bonded:

* **Atomic Multi-Operations:** The protocol bundles multiple operations into a single atomic execution. A single user payment triggers a protocol-level swap in the same block, ensuring the funds are distributed and assets are purchased simultaneously.
* **Embedded Transfer Restrictions:** The core engine intercepts payment transfers to ensure that fee redirection to the AMM pool is executed at the base level. This makes the "Buy-back" of BT tokens a mandatory, non-custodial condition of the payment settlement.&#x20;