The only thing I can think of is that it's intended to make things more difficult for those running crafting/gathering bot groups. In prior expansions, the early availability meant being able to avoid 90% of the MSQ to get the folklore and Master recipes. Now each bot has to get the majority of the expansion completed. That's going to slow bot entry into the market significantly.

We still have other items to purchase with the scrip. For crafters, Cunning IX is an obvious choice. For gatherers, IX and X will be cheap alternatives for those not wanting to pay XI and XII prices and that don't have Seafarer Cowries to use. Even Guerdon and Guile V are looking useful for those who pentameld. There's also going to be a need for plenty of Hi-Cordials. I've already gone through about 150 and haven't even started on my hardcore farming yet.

While it's a small inconvenience for us since we'll complete MSQ regardless, the much larger inconvenience to those who run large numbers of bots makes it worth it in my eyes.