If I'm not mistaken, there is a similar system to having your "retainer" do gathering for you in Monster Hunter. You, the adventurer, would send out this one Felyne to go do gathering for you. You could send it to certain areas, and it may take a few days for it to return. Each area had multiple points I think you could send him and he could come back with something rare, or a lot of stuff like bugs from the area you sent him to. If I recall, you could specify what you were hoping to get. (In this case it would perhaps be based off of one of the gathering tools in FFXIV, and what those tools could gather. Example: Scythe = veggies, plants/herbs, cocoons, etc.) It didn't compare to what you could go collect on your own, but it was kind of nice for the Felyne to go get you those little things. I think you have to spend Pokke points for him to go on a journey, though. So, maybe it would be the same here?