diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 27b20e5a09..c92644a850 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)
 
 # Set current version of the project
 set(TARAXA_MAJOR_VERSION 1)
-set(TARAXA_MINOR_VERSION 9)
-set(TARAXA_PATCH_VERSION 3)
+set(TARAXA_MINOR_VERSION 11)
+set(TARAXA_PATCH_VERSION 0)
 set(TARAXA_VERSION ${TARAXA_MAJOR_VERSION}.${TARAXA_MINOR_VERSION}.${TARAXA_PATCH_VERSION})
 
 # Any time a change in the network protocol is introduced this version should be increased
diff --git a/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/mainnet/mainnet_genesis.json b/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/mainnet/mainnet_genesis.json
index 4ad1e20333..10a7c5e93a 100644
--- a/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/mainnet/mainnet_genesis.json
+++ b/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/mainnet/mainnet_genesis.json
@@ -1650,9 +1650,9 @@
       "generated_rewards": "0x105674788D280AE305A6EC0"
     },
     "ficus_hf": {
-      "block_num": -1,
-      "pillar_blocks_interval": 100,
-      "bridge_contract_address": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000"
+      "block_num": 11616000,
+      "pillar_blocks_interval": 4000,
+      "bridge_contract_address": "0xe126E0BaeAE904b8Cfd619Be1A8667A173b763a1"
     }
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_config.json b/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_config.json
index 1fe0aaaeeb..d444117b3c 100644
--- a/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_config.json
+++ b/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_config.json
@@ -38,17 +38,17 @@
     "boot_nodes": [
       {
         "id": "f36f467529fe91a750dfdc8086fd0d2f30bad9f55a5800b6b4aa603c7787501db78dc4ac1bf3cf16e42af7c2ebb53648653013c3da1987494960d751871d598a",
-        "ip": "boot-node-3.testnet.taraxa.io",
+        "ip": "boot-node-0.testnet.taraxa.io",
         "port": 10002
       },
       {
         "id": "d2d445fc3276bdbf2a07628a484baabf45ccb91d6aa078a0dc3aefc11f1941899a923312ec0e664b8e57b63b774c47a006d9d1d16befd2135dcf76067736c688",
-        "ip": "boot-node-4.testnet.taraxa.io",
+        "ip": "boot-node-1.testnet.taraxa.io",
         "port": 10002
       },
       {
         "id": "c6e7263f44d88c0d6cc3b0d5ebdc31cf891908e8fa7e545e137d3ed0bfec1810fa24c1379228afbb53df0d59e716e17138115fd096782a84261718ab77665171",
-        "ip": "boot-node-5.testnet.taraxa.io",
+        "ip": "boot-node-2.testnet.taraxa.io",
         "port": 10002
       }
     ]
diff --git a/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_genesis.json b/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_genesis.json
index 8e8bf4af8f..9d34feb1c0 100644
--- a/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_genesis.json
+++ b/libraries/cli/include/cli/config_jsons/testnet/testnet_genesis.json
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     "level": "0x0",
     "pivot": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
     "sig": "0xb7e22d46c1ba94d5e8347b01d137b5c428fcbbeaf0a77fb024cbbf1517656ff00d04f7f25be608c321b0d7483c402c294ff46c49b265305d046a52236c0a363701",
-    "timestamp": "0x66827F92",
+    "timestamp": "0x669f7f20",
     "tips": [],
     "transactions": []
   },
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@
     },
     "ficus_hf": {
       "block_num": 1000,
-      "pillar_blocks_interval": 100,
+      "pillar_blocks_interval": 1000,
       "bridge_contract_address": "0xcAF2b453FE8382a4B8110356DF0508f6d71F22BF"
     }
   }
diff --git a/libraries/types/pbft_block/include/pbft/pbft_block_extra_data.hpp b/libraries/types/pbft_block/include/pbft/pbft_block_extra_data.hpp
index ba1bd9e4d7..765069b45d 100644
--- a/libraries/types/pbft_block/include/pbft/pbft_block_extra_data.hpp
+++ b/libraries/types/pbft_block/include/pbft/pbft_block_extra_data.hpp
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ class PbftBlockExtraData {
   PbftBlockExtraData(const uint16_t major_version, const uint16_t minor_version, const uint16_t patch_version,
                      const uint16_t net_version, const std::string node_implementation,
                      const std::optional<blk_hash_t>& pillar_block_hash);
-  PbftBlockExtraData(const bytes& data);
+
+  static std::optional<PbftBlockExtraData> fromBytes(const bytes& data);
 
   /**
    * @brief Get rlp
diff --git a/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block.cpp b/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block.cpp
index 54dadeca97..e0deec66e0 100644
--- a/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block.cpp
+++ b/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block.cpp
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@
 
 #include <iostream>
 
-#include "common/jsoncpp.hpp"
-
 namespace taraxa {
 
 PbftBlock::PbftBlock(bytes const& b) : PbftBlock(dev::RLP(b)) {}
@@ -15,7 +13,7 @@ PbftBlock::PbftBlock(dev::RLP const& rlp) {
     dev::bytes extra_data_bytes;
     util::rlp_tuple(util::RLPDecoderRef(rlp, true), prev_block_hash_, dag_block_hash_as_pivot_, order_hash_,
                     prev_state_root_hash_, period_, timestamp_, reward_votes_, extra_data_bytes, signature_);
-    extra_data_ = PbftBlockExtraData(extra_data_bytes);
+    extra_data_ = PbftBlockExtraData::fromBytes(extra_data_bytes);
   } else {
     util::rlp_tuple(util::RLPDecoderRef(rlp, true), prev_block_hash_, dag_block_hash_as_pivot_, order_hash_,
                     prev_state_root_hash_, period_, timestamp_, reward_votes_, signature_);
diff --git a/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block_extra_data.cpp b/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block_extra_data.cpp
index 215dab37cb..6a14c99c61 100644
--- a/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block_extra_data.cpp
+++ b/libraries/types/pbft_block/src/pbft_block_extra_data.cpp
@@ -1,9 +1,5 @@
 #include "pbft/pbft_block_extra_data.hpp"
 
-#include <iostream>
-
-#include "common/jsoncpp.hpp"
-
 namespace taraxa {
 
 PbftBlockExtraData::PbftBlockExtraData(const uint16_t major_version, const uint16_t minor_version,
@@ -17,14 +13,22 @@ PbftBlockExtraData::PbftBlockExtraData(const uint16_t major_version, const uint1
       node_implementation_(node_implementation),
       pillar_block_hash_(pillar_block_hash) {}
 
-PbftBlockExtraData::PbftBlockExtraData(const bytes& data) {
+std::optional<PbftBlockExtraData> PbftBlockExtraData::fromBytes(const bytes& data) {
   if (data.size() > kExtraDataMaxSize) {
     throw std::runtime_error("Pbft block invalid, extra data size over the limit");
   }
 
   dev::RLP rlp(data);
-  util::rlp_tuple(util::RLPDecoderRef(rlp, true), major_version_, minor_version_, patch_version_, net_version_,
-                  node_implementation_, pillar_block_hash_);
+  PbftBlockExtraData extra_data;
+  try {
+    util::rlp_tuple(util::RLPDecoderRef(rlp, true), extra_data.major_version_, extra_data.minor_version_,
+                    extra_data.patch_version_, extra_data.net_version_, extra_data.node_implementation_,
+                    extra_data.pillar_block_hash_);
+  } catch (const dev::RLPException& e) {
+    return std::nullopt;
+  }
+
+  return extra_data;
 }
 
 bytes PbftBlockExtraData::rlp() const {
diff --git a/submodules/taraxa-evm b/submodules/taraxa-evm
index 5ad48bf9a8..2edc2f91df 160000
--- a/submodules/taraxa-evm
+++ b/submodules/taraxa-evm
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 5ad48bf9a87bfa3496000ad130e191d12962232d
+Subproject commit 2edc2f91df972511e1ccba6440a38efd32812ee2