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>"Catch up, everyone. Let's go!" The card artisan in the lead kept reminding his comrades while cursing to himself about that damned team they were targeting. Their current situation was pretty messed up, with one of their comrades already breaking out into a low-grade fever. Another had been pricked by some unknown thorns, and now his entire arm was swelling up like a pig's foot. But what calmed him somewhat was that the time for the newly dispatched card artisans to arrive was getting closer and closer.</p>

<p>In his walking until then, he'd felt some unspeakable hunch that was becoming more intense. If the orders from above hadn't been on pain of death, he would have turned around earlier. He knew what it meant to disobey a mortal order, which was something he would never allow. If he were to die on the job, his family would get a secure placement and spend a pretty good life. His children would also get a proper education.</p>

The Raw Recruits’ First Battle