1899.
Paraguay, Asuncion.
After the Paraguayan War, Paraguay had now fully regained its vigor. Its population had returned to prewar levels as early as the 1880s.
The only regrettable point was that after the Paraguayan War, Paraguay had become even farther from the sea. However, through the two excellent waterways of the Paraná River and its tributary, the Paraguay River, Paraguay's domestic and foreign trade had not been greatly affected.
At the fork between the Paraná River and the Paraguay River, East Africa's Paraguayan trade fleet was splitting up.
"The Aaron Green, the Ou Weim, and the Balajinma are bound for East City. We will head northwest into the Paraguay River, then reach Asuncion, the Paraguayan capital," Captain Corrid told the trainee sailors.
"In trade between East Africa and Paraguay, Asuncion, Paraguay's capital, and East City, Paraguay's second-largest city, are our main destinations. In the future, when you sail these routes, you will most likely be going back and forth between those two cities and East Africa."
"Captain, is there anything special about East City?" someone asked. After all, East Africa also had an East City on Pemba Island in the Indian Ocean.
Captain Corrid explained, "Paraguay's East City lies on the banks of the Paraná River. In the local language, it should be called Ciudad del Este, but Ciudad del Este means East City. As for our own East City, it is in the Indian Ocean—the two are entirely different concepts. Paraguay is a small country, with a small population and economy, so our trade with Paraguay is mainly conducted through Asuncion and East City, the only two cities that barely meet the standard in scale."
Although Paraguay's economy and population had emerged from the shadow of war, that could not change the reality of its small territory and