Comment by WantonQuantum

I'd like to better understand steps 3 and 4.

The sender deposits a fee into a smart contract.

The message is encrypted in layers, with each forwarder only able to decrypt their part (like an onion).

As the message is forwarded peer-to-peer, each forwarder appends some kind of proof-of-forwarding.

When the recipient finally receives and decrypts the message, they unlock the contract using a code embedded in the message. This triggers micropayments to all the forwarders.

Do forwarders need to interact with the blockchain (i.e., create/update a smart contract) when forwarding?

If so, wouldn’t that require each forwarder to have internet access at the time of forwarding—which breaks the idea of fully offline Bluetooth relaying?

Or is all the blockchain interaction deferred to the recipient, who proves the path the message took and triggers all payments at once?