The game did not end very quickly. 4 Provinces in 16 turns is not that fast.
I would guess the optimal strategy here is to skip both alchemist and chapel entirely maybe? Hunting parties are better than alchemists because they don't require a detour for a potion and don't really need trashing. The question is what to terminate the hunting party stack with - Haggler, Fortune Teller, and Moneylender all seem reasonable, with my guess being that Haggler would work best, but Fortune Teller a close second.
Not sure whether to skip trashing on a 5/2 start. But DEFINITELY skip alchemists, IMO.