Ah yes tell us all the important plot details that happen 2.1-2.3 that are so vital and important to the story and why they need to be 38 quests worth. Explain how this entire plot couldn't be covered in 5 quests lol.
Also add the part where this story is more important to the MSQ than coils, which is the point about the double standard. Coils is far more relevant to the MSQ and is optional content.
You can't always get away with saying "this argument is so bad it's not worth pointing out where", at a certain point it just seems like you're trying to defend for the sake of it. I like XIV, and I agree with your takes a lot but ARR is a legitimate gripe that shit is bad dude and not worth defending. Let alone, we're talking about the WORST part of ARR here, I have never seen anyone unironically defend 2.1-2.3 that shit is almost universally panned as an unnecessary slog. People didn't even like it when ARR was current, granted it was even worse back then lol.