diff --git a/anchor/MANIFEST-sha256.txt b/anchor/MANIFEST-sha256.txt
index 2199c3c..3ca6f04 100644
--- a/anchor/MANIFEST-sha256.txt
+++ b/anchor/MANIFEST-sha256.txt
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ a3b93f2602e9755d91358c9b3f473235f4d40ae23d912f797cdb03ed7e1348f9  consensus/comm
 68d635954ef33448a661256f50642eeeff2f7bb5874a54ffc2e64193c83fe391  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/AereAnchorProposalDelay.java
 8fa317b1ba1d887f0623610f8721d728d954cc800d3b391729ed06f64c8141a6  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BftBlockInterface.java
 2e84bb48611d3da7c46bcd4018ae746cbf785dfcb16f495674a0f6d542e71e8e  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BftExtraData.java
-adcc6c05e998f279fc6b863ead155f78b936a969985de40e1dda5bab641e73cf  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BlockTimer.java
+70fa067469a084ac225765da6a01619dec51130acc255b7194a1ad274d327141  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BlockTimer.java
 3ab425b5b5f7d7c2199065a3905623d5c1c4c5922d892c6c4275415b0c69a2b4  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/FalconSeal.java
 db1e80115ce59c8281fbf046cb37e153a49fe017c1675afd200e8125d3f6b538  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/FalconSealScheme.java
 789db234a90f118cdf881653ee2bb7ad4a229a685315b04822147ffffe6a3c13  consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/FalconSealSupport.java
@@ -105,23 +105,23 @@ ae37d3525697bf84defd796bb8813193c78f81e7fa24a72f8f048285d52399e2  consensus/comm
 597d96d64c9394c79d5084a1ab5df884b2266efe315c0f2d563bfc17b7421480  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/network/QbftMessageTransmitter.java
 03173f2029f767e10cc978b5576b9557efa783dab2ef105aa856f6d5e08b9352  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/CommitPayload.java
 d365bad33f3aee4597c630071ca1f727ddd8bb6ab6515fccbce0a07842037adf  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/MessageFactory.java
-861a2e6f81df1c33755f28ca50bf88b6b0b197f7a7a1d646c165788d192160ca  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/PreparePayload.java
-428e11639fb24ae4b04972457714445a5cd59d7946135a8b7362123461fa690f  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/ProposalPayload.java
-2e133e92dabb6b7add09820f9239050bd8d3b9ad63c16ed7f6e725a9694f2232  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/RoundChangePayload.java
+e5c34515bebb3e53d790c2ca5c4f195db0ca022ec2603c28d47ac171cb74f2cc  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/PreparePayload.java
+efb0e336e19a16ef192e3d1f91f1e5488f632e17b5748654e75008ddfcdda932  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/ProposalPayload.java
+02d31e71cc50b1a2330c7a928c833d8b4b5f969228f085d54d099eb5d29eb65f  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/RoundChangePayload.java
 51eddf3cb8e37489abd35e6f4c36294a13ec76337bbbbfd54c07584085dceaac  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/statemachine/QbftBlockHeightManager.java
-7fef8f228638187615de0c7c92f1ae41a83a9c2997e64ef527f125a204e40204  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/statemachine/QbftController.java
+0a450699c702104dcef6bf8912b4d180f05d647288c75a9f78da6af3bd3d90f1  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/statemachine/QbftController.java
 9c7e2698016f8cf19d3b6d78c6256ad5e8eabec06d9a877eee4e8c2dde423839  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/statemachine/QbftRound.java
 00c8204e4b44acd469973d6bbc07992382fdd2d692f079a55de76f944a7432f8  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/statemachine/RoundState.java
 601b0cccf32f8ebe327c7581e0e9b3f9f67de49d9fb646326d6b49ef2138c641  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/types/QbftBlockCreator.java
 01ed4a44aa58da124efb6f4fcf479f9511c8f522f40ccf0be5fff3d0bcb38f34  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/CommitValidator.java
-e533a19b256f7d9a64980af283bd8ce148bc8ae3c297a3cd92908c9d1a70981e  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/MessageValidator.java
+a40621537e2b2024ab5586c9001f96fd81ffe3c3d5ce1e867a07a77584cf2173  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/MessageValidator.java
 bebf53cbc7f3a9ca2807bd980d313f8131e96f79259ba41e80a598d0327b1a0d  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/PqCommitEnforcement.java
 5ab52433f770537e838b15e23abfc7b24eaa733ea26577451d5e32226d617879  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/PqPrepareEnforcement.java
 742611d52091a6c138cdff60c5f7f0bfb2fc33e567f520f3e86878fc086e77d9  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/PqProposalEnforcement.java
 afb487f8c1dd87e323fdc1153ecfdf8ec6cb5a10e0726783d4214c07a3fa9a95  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/PqRoundChangeEnforcement.java
-60eb9c5a8e3f464aa42915909e402bf59af9bad4e28631538dcf2f5ca52a9569  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/PrepareValidator.java
-8ab72d5558842779a6df6d5d4d7c06479ac3a19746b51bdd00d5168084f0b590  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/ProposalPayloadValidator.java
-54c657bb4759623faf2159417ec0255187e1919215e43f7e7cefb71e4514c8cb  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/RoundChangePayloadValidator.java
+3aaa572c81641ad9a3e9cef9460b9a82dc4faff8080b933ef0e835881cf30bb4  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/PrepareValidator.java
+2f0001ca7b302b38b81e51fee14120c385070290afc2754a75ec581d170b4943  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/ProposalPayloadValidator.java
+a82c7665c8c7dc1115f5523275608bf278a71fb6c6fb0e49895fa5321cdc9cbf  consensus/qbft-core/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/validation/RoundChangePayloadValidator.java
 e2107737579c16b73cbd2c9b50e90abcd6c910309286fb862cef780555ca43a5  consensus/qbft-core/src/test/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/network/ProposalSealPlumbingTest.java
 6da7d76a2ddc3dcab2a6d54d60615bb54182594f230e858cfd0c13b2626b76e0  consensus/qbft-core/src/test/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/network/RoundChangeSealPlumbingTest.java
 36dd77cdea980e4de0090e86ae2ca75d1af62a9477fe056c7fdde06422617898  consensus/qbft-core/src/test/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/qbft/core/payload/CommitPayloadHybridTest.java
diff --git a/anchor/consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BlockTimer.java b/anchor/consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BlockTimer.java
index 6e7a9fe..7349340 100644
--- a/anchor/consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BlockTimer.java
+++ b/anchor/consensus/common/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/consensus/common/bft/BlockTimer.java
@@ -59,7 +59,11 @@ public class BlockTimer {
       final ForksSchedule<? extends BftConfigOptions> forksSchedule,
       final BftExecutors bftExecutors,
       final Clock clock) {
-    // D-334: o configuratie gresita se refuza la PORNIRE, nu la prima intrebuintare in masina de stari
+    // Load the anchor proposal-delay configuration HERE, at construction, so a malformed value
+    // refuses START-UP rather than surfacing on its first use inside the consensus state machine.
+    // Measured 2026-09-03 on mainnet: a lazily-loaded consensus setting turned an unreadable file
+    // into 125 seconds of halted chain, while every configuration gate stayed green because the
+    // files existed.
     AereAnchorProposalDelay.configuredMillis();
     this.queue = queue;
     this.forksSchedule = forksSchedule;