After reading the source below, why do you think the merchants of the port city used this method of conducting business?
"When a vessel reaches the port it is met by sumbugs, which are small boats, in each of which are a number of young men, each carrying a covered dish containing food. He presents this to one of the merchants. ... Each merchant . .. goes only to the house of the young man who is his host. . . . The host then
sells his goods for him and buys for him."
-Ibn Battuta, Travels in Asia and Africa,
1325-1354
A. to create a system of trading alliances
B. to forge a sense of community for the port city
C. to create a bond between merchant and host
D. to influence domestic trading