Fang Xiang

This is both a work of science fiction and an exploration of the meaning of life, love, literature and art. Brainpower is no longer the main ingredient for being human in this far distant future world.  Spirituality, physical balance, and diligence all come together as integrity for Chen Mu, the Card Apprentice.  The cards which Chen Mu masters in his own scrappy way, distill all the powers of the cosmos –  human and nonhuman –  into something that is not a book, not technology, and neither art nor magic, but is these and more.  Learn about these strange cards, which can embody everything you might imagine for the future of technology, but also a future beyond technology which promotes the best, and sometimes the worst, from mankind’s past.

The Card Apprentice

<p>All kinds of defensive card appliances were distributed all around the small auditorium, to the extent that it could be called a card appliance exhibition. Chen Mu was closely looking them up and down, never having seen so many. Each of the card appliances was different, though most were a kind of appliance made of countless gun barrels. The gun barrels lined up to make an array pointing to the sky. Since there was no way to see the structure inside, Chen Mu had no way to determine how the card appliances were fired. But so many stout metal tubes were enough to make the heart pound. Scanning over them quickly, there were at least hundreds of them stacked all around.</p>

<p>Every card appliance was huge, and they would make a fine deterrent for a rookie like Chen Mu. They were spectacular when taken all together.</p>

The Banquet