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

By the time Chen Mu had rushed over, he found that all the important people of the village were there. Bo Wen and Cheng Ying had also been invited. They both seemed somewhat puzzled, not seeming to know what was going on, while everyone else looked grave.

Seeing Chen Mu arrive, the clan elder looked all around and then slowly began to speak, "The reason I've asked you all to come is that I have something to discuss. We have already determined that the gummy cloud layer has recently become unsettled."

The meeting room was deadly silent, with all the villagers looking ashen. Chen Mu and the three of them looked at one another, not know what the so-called gummy cloud layer referred to.

Bo Wen quietly coughed, "This is the first time I've heard of the gummy cloud layer, and I wonder what it really is?"

The Gummy Cloud