I can't for the love of me think of a way for my mc to make money...
sorry, I forgot to mention that its in a fantasy setting and the mc is an orphan
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Siterus also need to know his circumstances.... mc can be the smartest guy but has something blocking him from using those smarts.... like orphan that is young which no one will take seriously, or bad environment where things arent readily available.... something like that...
or are you asking for one of those modern things that when taken to a fantasy world is ground breaking type of plotpoints?
i dunno, mcs usually go for the advance agricultural methods that produce profit.. like a type of plant that is known to produce sugar but in medieval times wasnt well known... or production methods of glass or some other tools like how to smelt metal....also used by some is method to make paper from wood and also introducing the printing press, some mcs sell knowledge of science and whatnot...
there is also modern day knowledge of controlling gambling odds...
introducing a card game and the mc has the skill of counting cards and scamming a lot of people...
selling snake oil... lol
those the kinds of things you looking for?
Easy, marry a sugar mommy ( correct term for female sugar daddy? Lol, idk. Too lazy to look up)
Jkjk but def. need more info on the character. And how much money? Like enough to buy rice or a whole city?
Siterus how about... he/she bumps into a down and out of luck merchant/ wizard/ inventor mumbling to himself.
Then MC gives a "stupid" idea that triggers the merchant/ wizard/ inventors inspiration.
The person thanks MC and dashes off.
Weeks later, MC gets a huge sum of money as thanks from that person, along with a promise of support.
Later in story, that merchant/ wizard/ inventor can also be a hidden backer e.g. lots of stuck up people look down on MC, only to find out that the great and mighty merchant is MCs good friend...
given that you said its a fantasy what type of fantasy it is can you tell me if it is western you can always be an adventurer if it is eastern then you can make mc shameless and steal some money from young masters from the sects.
or you can make him a pill master or near to pill master providing herbs thus that you can also make money there are many ways like that.
Siterus
If I was writing a fantasy novel with an orphan in need of money then I'd set out to have him do it himself in a cool way. (NO LUCKY COINCIDENCES! THAT'S BAD WRITING!)
1. Pickpocket. A staple of orphans and fun to read.
2. Thieves guild. Perhaps he's not a member. But he knows a guy that offloads some of the easier work to him or a specific task for a job he's pulling to him.
3. Scamming.
Now the above assume your MC is either a bad guy or in the morally gray area. If your character is Lord of the innocents then it becomes a bit more difficult. Especially since we know nothing about your MC. Still, here's a few ideas.
1. A skill. Perhaps he has some oddly specific niche he uses to ilk out a small living. Hunt rabbits and skins them? Or knows how to perform minor repairs for weapons and armor.
2. A job. It's normal for orphans to have jobs in a fantasy novel. He could work in a kitchen as the help. Do odd jobs around town.
3. He can switch his car insurance to GEICO. With his 15% savings, he'll have tons of money to spend on whatever he needs!
Ponzi Scheme
how much money? Simple - artisans apprentice.
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Although he would prefer jobs that aren't bad, he'd still do that for the money.
His cheat is something that makes him able to learn things very quickly, maybe something related to that?
not much of an education nor skills since the character is actually pretty young 10-13~
Needs enough money to buy books mostly
Maybe i should just make him steal? hmmm
Again, I'm sorry for not giving much details
again cheats... God, nooooooooo! Boring.
Politics, laws, economy, society. What can do a 10-13 years old character? Who does he know? Have a connection?
If need books - the road to the bookstore and work there. If books are rare - temples, monasteries. It is difficult to advise something when known nothing about the world.
1.Kills a bandit with a high bounty then claim the reward at adventurer's guild.
2. Save a beauty who is "accidentally" a noble then reward him with money.
3. Collecting herbs and learn alchemy and make/sell potion at auction.
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Siterus since it's a fantasy theme, he could either hunt, gather resources or the third oldest job in the world, became a gigolo. Fantasy genre is into pre pubescent teens as I noticed.
Siterus if he can learn things very quickly how about letting him steal a letter, which actually contains a private information of a merchant. he saved the merchant by finding that letter and in return the merchant teaches him counting/ accounting and he shows his talent and in a short time finding profit for him and the merchant. maybe you can make him fall out with the merchant later on
haha lol... i wrote things usually used by reincarnated mcs, thinking that your story is also a reincarnation type....
well for stories with a fantasy setting, making money will usually involve something the mc is good at, perhaps have him meet some type of hard to persuade person whilst looking for a job, bet everything he has on his ability in your case learning ability, and use that to change that persons mind.... i.e, stubborn blacksmith thinking your a joke claiming that you can learn blacksmithing in only a few sessions etc...doesnt have to be a blacksmith can be anything like a librarian to a simple store clerk and such, just highlight his ability.... usually that is what authors do.
Siterus make a guild, have him join, take quests. Done