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Layer 2 on Zcash
The chain accepts the seal. The note keeps what the contract knew.
Zelum is a layer 2 on Zcash. Execution happens in the virtual machine. Settlement happens on Zcash. A transition that is valid inside the machine closes as a seal the chain can accept. The two layers are bound: the program can be expressive, and the public record can still be a commitment.
What the chain keeps
The public chain keeps the seal, the height, and the fact that the ledger advanced. Names and hashes travel with that seal when a contract is deployed. The working state, amounts, memos, and the interior of the run, stays in the note.
Why Zcash
Zcash is the settlement layer because shielded value is already its native object. Zelum puts an EVM on that settlement. Private programs deploy into a machine whose quietness comes from the chain underneath it.