diff --git a/consensus/parlia/parlia.go b/consensus/parlia/parlia.go
index 9f9665e618..176c742b9a 100644
--- a/consensus/parlia/parlia.go
+++ b/consensus/parlia/parlia.go
@@ -1324,7 +1324,7 @@ func (p *Parlia) Finalize(chain consensus.ChainHeaderReader, header *types.Heade
 			err = p.slash(spoiledVal, state, header, cx, txs, receipts, systemTxs, usedGas, false)
 			if err != nil {
 				// it is possible that slash validator failed because of the slash channel is disabled.
-				log.Error("slash validator failed", "block hash", header.Hash(), "address", spoiledVal)
+				log.Error("slash validator failed", "block hash", header.Hash(), "address", spoiledVal, "err", err)
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/core/state/database.go b/core/state/database.go
index 0c637ebb8b..f5f960496f 100644
--- a/core/state/database.go
+++ b/core/state/database.go
@@ -198,13 +198,15 @@ func (db *CachingDB) Reader(stateRoot common.Hash) (Reader, error) {
 			readers = append(readers, sr) // snap reader is optional
 		}
 	}
-	// Set up the trie reader, which is expected to always be available
-	// as the gatekeeper unless the state is corrupted.
-	tr, err := newTrieReader(stateRoot, db.triedb, db.pointCache)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	if !db.NoTries() {
+		// Set up the trie reader, which is expected to always be available
+		// as the gatekeeper unless the state is corrupted.
+		tr, err := newTrieReader(stateRoot, db.triedb, db.pointCache)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		readers = append(readers, tr)
 	}
-	readers = append(readers, tr)
 
 	return newMultiReader(readers...)
 }
diff --git a/core/state/state_object.go b/core/state/state_object.go
index ce8397152f..39898d5f99 100644
--- a/core/state/state_object.go
+++ b/core/state/state_object.go
@@ -482,8 +482,12 @@ func (s *stateObject) commit() (*accountUpdate, *trienode.NodeSet, error) {
 		s.origin = s.data.Copy()
 		return op, nil, nil
 	}
-	root, nodes := s.trie.Commit(false)
-	s.data.Root = root
+	var nodes *trienode.NodeSet
+	if !s.db.db.NoTries() {
+		var root common.Hash
+		root, nodes = s.trie.Commit(false)
+		s.data.Root = root
+	}
 	s.origin = s.data.Copy()
 	return op, nodes, nil
 }
diff --git a/core/state/statedb.go b/core/state/statedb.go
index ebe16900c4..463d750c33 100644
--- a/core/state/statedb.go
+++ b/core/state/statedb.go
@@ -1025,31 +1025,30 @@ func (s *StateDB) IntermediateRoot(deleteEmptyObjects bool) common.Hash {
 		usedAddrs    [][]byte
 		deletedAddrs []common.Address
 	)
-	if !s.noTrie {
-		for addr, op := range s.mutations {
-			if op.applied {
-				continue
-			}
-			op.applied = true
-
-			if op.isDelete() {
-				deletedAddrs = append(deletedAddrs, addr)
-			} else {
-				s.updateStateObject(s.stateObjects[addr])
-				s.AccountUpdated += 1
-			}
-			usedAddrs = append(usedAddrs, common.CopyBytes(addr[:])) // Copy needed for closure
-		}
-		for _, deletedAddr := range deletedAddrs {
-			s.deleteStateObject(deletedAddr)
-			s.AccountDeleted += 1
+	for addr, op := range s.mutations {
+		if op.applied {
+			continue
 		}
-		s.AccountUpdates += time.Since(start)
+		op.applied = true
 
-		if s.prefetcher != nil {
-			s.prefetcher.used(common.Hash{}, s.originalRoot, usedAddrs)
+		if op.isDelete() {
+			deletedAddrs = append(deletedAddrs, addr)
+		} else {
+			s.updateStateObject(s.stateObjects[addr])
+			s.AccountUpdated += 1
 		}
+		usedAddrs = append(usedAddrs, common.CopyBytes(addr[:])) // Copy needed for closure
+	}
+	for _, deletedAddr := range deletedAddrs {
+		s.deleteStateObject(deletedAddr)
+		s.AccountDeleted += 1
+	}
+	s.AccountUpdates += time.Since(start)
+
+	if s.prefetcher != nil && len(usedAddrs) > 0 {
+		s.prefetcher.used(common.Hash{}, s.originalRoot, usedAddrs)
 	}
+
 	// Track the amount of time wasted on hashing the account trie
 	defer func(start time.Time) { s.AccountHashes += time.Since(start) }(time.Now())
 
@@ -1335,7 +1334,7 @@ func (s *StateDB) commit(deleteEmptyObjects bool) (*stateUpdate, error) {
 	// code didn't anticipate for.
 	workers.Go(func() error {
 		if s.noTrie {
-			root = types.EmptyRootHash
+			root = s.expectedRoot
 			return nil
 		}
 		// Write the account trie changes, measuring the amount of wasted time
@@ -1360,9 +1359,6 @@ func (s *StateDB) commit(deleteEmptyObjects bool) (*stateUpdate, error) {
 	// 2 threads in total. But that kind of depends on the account commit being
 	// more expensive than it should be, so let's fix that and revisit this todo.
 	for addr, op := range s.mutations {
-		if s.noTrie {
-			continue
-		}
 		if op.isDelete() {
 			continue
 		}
diff --git a/core/state/trie_prefetcher.go b/core/state/trie_prefetcher.go
index 6b9e0515bc..0d63cb0bc1 100644
--- a/core/state/trie_prefetcher.go
+++ b/core/state/trie_prefetcher.go
@@ -520,6 +520,7 @@ func (sf *subfetcher) loop() {
 	for {
 		select {
 		case <-sf.wake:
+			//TODO(zzzckck): why OpenTrie twice?
 			// Subfetcher was woken up, retrieve any tasks to avoid spinning the lock
 			if sf.trie == nil {
 				if sf.owner == (common.Hash{}) {