A method for autonomously selecting data routing path by a distributed system includes forming a pulse group comprising a plurality of nodes in a computer network, automatically measuring one-way latencies between nodes in the pulse group, recording the one-way latencies in a one-way latency matrix, automatically determining a lower-latency data routing path from a first node to a second node through a relay node using in the one-way latency matrix. The lower-latency data routing path has a lower sum of one-way latencies from the first node to the second node via the relay node than the one-way latency for the direct path between from the first node to the second node. Data is sent from the first node to the second node via the relay node along the lower-latency data routing path. A payment transfer is automatically recorded in response to the data transmission along the lower-latency data routing path.