The AI's Benefits

The world of Boundless was slightly different after the Update, but the key things had not changed much. Umbra was still the strongest guild with the most power and they were right where they had been when they had logged out. 

In the case of the core members, they returned to the game to see that they were still on the airships, leading the other members of Umbra and the various NPCs that made up the Vita Army into war. 

They had just finished taking down Cario Continent and were spreading out to massacre all the monsters in the seas to cull their numbers and clear the path for ground troops to establish order between controlled territories. 

Territories in this case spanning continents. While portals were fine, if portals alone could satisfy all the needs of intercontinental trade, the Sea Route would not have been so profitable.