The Text Tells Us That in Areas with Populous Market

The text tells us that in areas with populous market towns where a small number of merchants and landholders managed to accumulate wealth,extreme stratification arose.This is likely because

A) wealth is often the accumulation of fixed assets,not cash.
B) wealth is often acquired by those who have great skill with money.
C) the absence of legal controls allowed a small subset of the population to control the market.
D) the absence of central banking entities precluded a fair redistribution of wealth.