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

Like a long snake, an energy belt full of sparks had wrapped up the entire body of his energy cloak.

An electric belt! It's an electric belt!

The electric belt wasn't actually a powerful card; it was more like a card one might keep up one's sleeve. It emitted an energy belt that brought a cleverly distributed electric charge along with it. It had no attack qualities but instead produced near-field electric charges that could suck things in or delay their motion.

Card artisans who were good at the electric belt were rarely seen among civilians; they were more commonly seen in the military. Upon entering school, no young person would choose such a card. It had no lethal power and no self-defense power. Moreover, the skill required by the electric belt card had a much higher level of difficulty than that of ordinary battle fantasy cards. Only select military support teams would specifically cultivate such unique card artisans.

An Ambush