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>The previous card set was no longer suited for that newly recruited batch of card artisans to use. Their average perceptual strength was above level five. That was a lot higher than those previously under Chen Mu; their average perceptual level was at a standard of level four. If he was going to use a card set, the card artisans he had now could use a much more powerful one of a higher level.</p>

<p>The reason he had chosen the tactic of using a set of cards was to remedy the issue of the card artisans' insufficient level, which led to inadequate lethality. The shuttle cards had brought a tremendous lethality into play in the midst of the battle with the Downstream Alliance. However, thinking about it after things calmed down, there was a direct relationship between the somewhat low average level of the Downstream Alliance card artisans and the excellent performance of the tactical shuttle cards.</p>

The Transformation (IV)