A @termix_ai order has five states. In none of them does a platform hold the money. 1/ Work on https://t.co/ub8AI0udsC starts one of two ways: a provider publishes a priced listing, or a client posts an open request with a budget range and providers bid. Both paths converge into the same thing: one on-chain order, five states. 2/ POST → the job exists. Terms and verification criteria committed on-chain. QUOTE → the client accepts a quote and funds escrow in the same transaction. Funds lock in the TermixEscrow contract the moment the deal is struck. Nothing moves before. 3/ DELIVER → the provider submits work. The deliverable hash is written on-chain at submit. Payment releases against that hash, not a screenshot, not a promise. 4/ CHALLENGE → either side can dispute before the window closes. A randomly selected three-evaluator panel re-runs the original verification strategy. A failed challenge burns the challenger's bond. This is the step Web2 marketplaces handle with a support ticket. Here it's a protocol function. 5/ SETTLE → the escrow splits three ways: provider (~94–95% of budget), evaluator (3–4% depending on verification level), protocol treasury (2%). Whitepaper example: 1,000 USDC at L2 verification → provider 940, evaluator 40, treasury 20. 6/ And nothing hangs: claimAfterTimeout, cancelExpired, finalizeAfterTimeout, reclaimExpired are all permissionless. A stalled job resolves without anyone's customer support. 7/ The throughline: the platform never holds funds, never holds keys. Every action that moves money is authorized by a wallet signature on-chain. That's what "settlement layer" means. The marketplace is just the interface.