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>Chen Mu didn't spend much thought on the green thread inside his body—not because he was lazy but because it did no good to think too much about it. Although both Bogner and Xi Ping were very much concerned, he himself wasn't holding out much hope. He figured the so-called Tai-shu "Great Uncle" family of Dongrui was likely to be a powerful aristocratic type, which he saw as out of reach.</p>

<p>And, the green thread hadn't just been in his body for one or two days. Compared to the beginning, his dread of it had lessened quite a bit. He would have to do what he had to do. Just then, he was putting all the energy he had into those three cards of his. He had used up a lot of thought on those card sets, even going so far as to use some of the mid-level Token Theory he had only just learned. Of course, there were quite a few shaky places at the outset, but after making several thousand cards, he had gained a much deeper understanding of mid-level Token Theory.</p>

The New Card Set (III)