Did some runs and found that you can get a "Elaia wins the War" Ending under 10 loops but the minimum for the Golden Ending is 10 considering you need to actually travel south personally. Although I do admit that I haven't checked if there are other ways to get the Golden Ending
Anyway loved this game and everything about it. The characters are likable, the endings are diverse, the world-building is interesting, and when you actually manage to save everyone it feels incredibly satisfying.
Run that I ended up staying is 11 loops because I wanted to meet the village people before saving everyone.