Recently, people keep asking me, "Isn't the blockchain real-time? Why do you say we still have to wait?" Basically, what you're seeing on the chain is mostly the version provided by nodes/RPCs/indexers, not the ultimate truth of the universe. Sometimes nodes get stuck syncing, RPCs might switch to outdated backups, and indexers are even more realistic: they need to scan blocks, parse events, and store data... it's not unusual for it to take a few seconds to several minutes.

I thought just watching the block explorer was fast enough, but once I saw a transaction show as successful on A, while B was still spinning, even though the chain had already packaged it long ago—it's just that the "display layer" didn't keep up. Then, considering the recent cross-chain bridge hacks and the erratic oracle quotes, everyone suddenly learned to "wait for confirmation." I actually think that's quite normal: it's not that we don't trust the chain, but we don't trust the middlemen and machines relaying the information.

Now I look at data as if I'm reading road signs—at least check two or more RPCs/indexers. If they don't match, hold your horses; it's better to be slow than chasing after illusions. That's all for now.