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>They didn't stay long at Bartleman Village, only doing a little resupplying before heading north. That was a decision Chen Mu made only after he'd gotten a general idea of the distribution of power in the Heavenly Drum Village District. He had previously thought the entire district was within the scope of Moon Frost Island's power, only to find out how far off he was.</p>

<p>Moon Frost Island was surely the biggest power in the Heavenly Drum Village District, but if you were to think they could take the dominant position there, that would be a big mistake. Most of what was in the Heavenly Drum Village District were small, scattered forts in the icy and snowy regions. It was said that the small forts in the icy and snowy regions numbered about 200,000, and those within the scope of Moon Frost Island's power only constituted 30 percent.</p>

Brenton