What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[tokinokanatae]

I think the Ancient’s could have very easily come across as creepy—which is why it’s so strange to me that they seemingly had difficulty writing them as such—but they pretty deftly avoided the two biggest pitfalls in Shadowbringers and Endwalker:

1. They made it clear that it was important to work on ways to lessen the gap between people’s innate aether disparities. (As seen in the Shadowbringers robe side quest) So it’s unlikely people with less than “prodigious snifters” of reserve aether were encouraged to “restart and reroll”, so to speak. Hythlodeaus speaks of himself as being limited in this respect, but he’s still in upper government. There doesn’t seem to be a ceiling there, from what little knowledge we have.

2. Choosing NOT to return to the planet is seen as eccentric at worst. Venat isn’t disrespected because of her choice to remain. Hades and Hythlodeaus are confused by Hermes’s anguish—and since Hades has a stronger than usual tie to the Underworld, he seems slightly offended—but they mostly seem bewildered by the idea that Hermes’s choice to take the seat of Fandaniel would mean he’s forcing his mentor to die.

[PawPaw]

2. Choosing NOT to return to the planet is seen as eccentric at worst. Venat isn’t disrespected because of her choice to remain. Hades and Hythlodeaus are confused by Hermes’s anguish—and since Hades has a stronger than usual tie to the Underworld, he seems slightly offended—but they mostly seem bewildered by the idea that Hermes’s choice to take the seat of Fandaniel would mean he’s forcing his mentor to die.

Forgive me but I just had a mental image of Emet-Selch preparing rooms for a new arrival in the Underworld and leaving little chocolates on their pillows and being gutted when the occupant doesn't show. I'm so sorry.