The general pattern of nomadic conquest followed by the assimilation of the conquerors into the cultures of the conquered societies was most clearly expressed in which of the following developments in the period circa?
a) the rulers of the mali empire converting to islam through the influence of north african merchants and missionaries
b) the rulers of the yuan dynasty adopting chinese court culture and methods of rule
c) trading states in southeast asia such as the khmer and srivijaya empires adopting syncretic hindu-buddhist practices
d) chinese, persian, and indian artisans expanding their output because of a rising demand for luxury goods in afro-eurasia